DA’S PRESS RELEASE

Rockland County District Attorney Thomas P. Zugibe today announced the guilty plea of Frank Sparaco (DOB 03/12/76) of 17 Louis Avenue, Valley Cottage, New York, for falsifying political petitions.

“The defendant caused the integrity of the political process needless harm,” said District Attorney Zugibe, “Electoral fraud only serves to reduce voters’ confidence in democracy. Even the perception of fraud can be damaging, as it makes people less inclined to accept election results and fosters mistrust in our system. I will continue to utilize all of the resources of my office to vigorously prosecute those who try to manipulate the outcome of an election.”

Sparaco, a Rockland County Legislator, pleaded guilty in Town of Clarkstown Justice Court to:

Eight counts of Offering a False Instrument For Filing in the Second Degree, class “A” Misdemeanors

Two counts of Furnishing False Information, Unclassified Misdemeanors

On July 10, 2014, Sparaco filed with the Rockland County Board of Elections designating petitions for the Town of Clarkstown Republican Party with knowledge that the petitions contained false statements and information regarding the addresses of the individuals he was designating for various positions in the Town of Clarkstown Republican Party.

Specifically, Sparaco recruited two individuals, Vincent Marzella and Seth Gross, to falsely change their voting address to Brega Transport, located at 500 Corporate Way, Valley Cottage, New York, for the purpose of nominating them to committee positions within the Clarkstown Republican Committee.

Marzella lives in Stony Point, New York. Gross is a New Jersey resident.

Sparaco also admitted to unlawfully enabling relatives to register to vote in the Town of Clarkstown. The defendant represented to the Board of Elections that his two cousins, Keith Kuropatski and Michael Kuropatski, whom are brothers, lived part-time with him, his wife and children at their Valley Cottage home. In reality, the brothers resided with their respective families in Yonkers, New York.

Also, as part of the plea agreement, the defendant agreed to resign his position as a county legislator, will serve eight weekends in the Rockland County jail and three years probation. The conditions of his probation include a ban on holding public office as well as a ban on actively participating in a political party, either directly or indirectly.

Sentencing is scheduled for April 16, 2015. This case is being prosecuted by Supervising Assistant District Attorney Richard K. Moran.