The Paterson, New Jersey political world was rocked in the past week after additional voter fraud charges were levied against a major area political player.

According to NBC New York, Paterson City Council President Alex Mendez was hit with more criminal charges in a case alleging multiple criminal voter fraud activities stemming from the 2020 election. 

Both Mendez and his wife now face 20 counts in a superseding indictment that came down last week.

They both face ballot-stuffing scheme-related charges as well as charges related to witness tampering, setting them both up for major consequences if found guilty and sentenced.

What's going on?

In the run-up to the 2020 election, when voter fraud allegations were everywhere, Mendez was accused of "stealing mail-in ballots with numerous co-conspirators," according to the outlet. Despite the allegations, he was reelected in 2024.

The outlet noted:

The New Jersey State Attorney General’s office alleged Mendez and several co-conspirators stole mail-in ballots, falsified them, and then stuffed hundreds of them in a mailbox in Haledon to try to win the election.

It gets even worse, though. Prosecutors allege that some of Mendez's campaign aides opened mail-in ballots and if they were not in favor of Mendez, they were destroyed. Then, they would change the vote to Mendez using blank mail-in ballots stolen out of neighborhood mailboxes.

Not surprisingly, both Mendez and his wife, Yohanny Munoz-Mendez, pleaded not guilty to any of the charges they currently face.

Paterson's City Council President Alex Mendez faces a new indictment on voter fraud charges for over FIVE years involving the all vote-by-mail election at the beginning of the COVID pandemic in 2020

How many other NJ Council's have done the same!?https://t.co/4KxR7PL7Ej

— Wake Up NJ 🇺🇸 New Jersey (@wakeupnj) May 1, 2025

"The people’s right to vote and to have their voices heard was subverted by what we allege to be an unlawful conspiracy … It was, as the grand jury alleged, fraud and theft," said Attorney General Matthew Platkin.

Social media reacts

Users across social media reacted to Mendez's superseding indictment news.

"This never happened. CNN told us so," one X user wrote, referring to voter fraud claims that were downplayed.

Another X user wrote, "There were three that got caught and nothing happened. Wouldn’t be surprised if they have all cheated. Par for the course in Paterson and Passaic County."

Only time will tell if the pair of alleged cheaters are held accountable.