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Samuel L.

Rivers
30 Rockledge Avenue Mount Vernon, NY 10550 (914) 760-8136 t. (914) 517-2841 f. samuelrivers@gmail.com

Chief, Voting Section Civil Rights Division, Department of Justice 950 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W. Room 7254 NWB Washington, DC 20530 VIA: FACISIMILE and ELECTRONIC MAIL October 19, 2011 Dear Olimpia Michel: I respectfully request that the United States Department of Justice send Federal election monitors to monitor the General Election in the City of Mount Vernon on November 8, 2011. Section 8 of the Voting Rights Act, provides for the appointment of federal observers within political subdivisions certified by the Attorney General or by order of a federal court pursuant to the Voting Rights Act. The monitoring of elections by federal observers is an important aspect of the Voting Section's enforcement efforts. During the Democratic Primary election on September 13, 2011, there were allegations of widespread fraud committed on behalf of Ernest D. Davis, candidate for Mayor in the City of Mount Vernon and also former Mayor of the City of Mount Vernon, Richard Thomas and Deborah Reynolds, candidates for Mount Vernon City Council. Federal Election monitors were dispatched to the City of Mount Vernon in 1988 during the Presidential election and dispatched to Westchester County in various other elections. I respectfully ask that this honorable agency focus on voting, ballot counting procedures and voter intimidation. The City of Mount is 60% black and these voters are controlled through manipulation by the Mount Vernon Democratic City Committee and Westchester County Election Commissioner Reginald Lafayette. A white person has not been elected in a Democratic Primary in the City of Mount Vernon in over 30 years and a Hispanic has never been elected to office in the City of Mount Vernon. White and Hispanics are intimidated at the polls by blacks and therefore do not come out to vote. Former Mayor Ernest D. Davis was Mayor of Mount Vernon for 12 years and was voted out of office in 2007 after several members of his administration were arrested, indicted, and convicted by the United States Department of Justice. Ernest D. Davis was also subject to many subpoenas by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is unclear if the investigation of Ernest D. Davis is ongoing or if your honorable agency has concluded its criminal investigation of Ernest D. Davis.

Samuel L. Rivers
30 Rockledge Avenue Mount Vernon, NY 10550 (914) 760-8136 t. (914) 517-2841 f. samuelrivers@gmail.com

I would like to call this honorable agencys attention to election districts 1, 14, 15, 18, and 29. The voting patterns in these election districts are not consistent with the voting patterns in other election districts in the City of Mount Vernon. Upon information and belief, a further investigation by this honorable agency will reveal that many ballots cast in these districts were fraudulent and not cast by said names registered in said election records. Several of these districts are unique in the City of Mount Vernon because voters of these districts do not need to travel to a polling place to vote. Voting machines in said districts are located in the building where these voters live. These buildings house the elderly voters in the City of Mount Vernon. Upon information and belief, when elderly voters went to vote and told poll workers their intention to vote for a particular candidate, said poll worker and/or election inspector indicated to the elderly voter that the candidate they were inquiring about was on row 1A, 5A and 8A the location on the ballot for Ernest D. Davis, Richard Thomas, and Deborah Reynolds. Under normal circumstances there are checks and balances at polling places throughout Westchester County via election inspectors certified and trained by the Westchester County Board of Elections. There are normally two inspectors from each the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. Democrats outnumber Republicans 2 to 1 in Westchester County and 8 to 1 in the City of Mount Vernon. There is a major conflict of interest that exists that makes it possible for the corruption and fraud to taint the elections at the polling place in the City of Mount Vernon. Election Inspectors are hand selected by the Westchester County Election Commissioner of each party, Democratic and Republican. The Westchester County Election Commissioner of the Democrats is Reginald Lafayette, who also serves as the Chairman of the Westchester Democratic Committee and is also 1st Vice Chair of the Mount Vernon Democratic City Committee. Due to the significant advantage that Democrats have in enrollment over Republicans, there are not as many Republican election inspectors as there are Democratic election inspectors in the City of Mount Vernon, especially on the South side where the fraud, abuse, and corruption takes place. Therefore, the Westchester County Election Commissioner for the Republican side deploys the Republican election inspectors to the Republican strongholds and swing areas, virtually leaving no protection of checks and balances for traditionally leaning Democratic strongholds. Democratic election inspectors then fill the void of the Republican election inspectors in said election districts. The above mentioned practice has been standard operating procedure for at least 10 years.

Samuel L. Rivers
30 Rockledge Avenue Mount Vernon, NY 10550 (914) 760-8136 t. (914) 517-2841 f. samuelrivers@gmail.com

Westchester County Election Commissioner Reginald Lafayette and Ernest Davis personal relationship dates back over 35 years. These two individuals have also been in business together, once owning a liquor store in the City of Mount Vernon. There has also been reports published in local newspapers (attached) the Reginald Lafayette has engaged in election fraud and bribery in the past. I recently ran in the Democratic Primary on September 13, 2011 and received over 2,300 votes. I am a candidate for City Council in the upcoming General Election on November 8, 2011. I will be running on the Republican and Conservative Party lines. For the foregoing reasons, I respectfully request Federal Election monitors from your honorable agency to preserve the integrity of the upcoming election.

Respectfully Submitted, Samuel L. Rivers Samuel L. Rivers cc: United States Attorney General, Eric Holder cc: United States Attorney, Preet Bharara

The WesTchesTer GuardIaN

Thursday, JuNe 10, 2010

Page 3

Shakedown for Judgeships


Westchester Democratic Chairman Accused of Extorting Kickbacks in Exchange for Party Endorsement
By Sam Zherka
Sam Zherka

Public corruption is one of the FBIs top priorities after terrorism and espionage. The FBI understands public corruption impacts democracy and is a threat to state and national security. Political corruption affects everything from securing our borders to fixing potholes, from verdicts handed down in our courts to how schools are run, from how our mail is delivered to protecting our neighborhoods. corruption impacts every person in every municipality in every state in america, and takes a toll on the pocketbook of the american taxpayer. Border corruption, economic stimulus fraud, election crimes and bribery are among the FBIs top investigative priorities. On Friday, June 4th, Mt. Vernon activist, helena edwards, publisher of the straight Talk in Mount Vernon blog, and wife of acting Westchester Family court Judge, hon. Bill edwards, accused the current Westchester county democratic chairman, reginald Lafayette, of attempting to shake her down to guarantee the democratic Party endorsement for her husband seven years ago. Ms. edwards alleges Lafayette, who held the Mt. Vernon democratic committee chair in 2003 said your husband will be getting a ten-year one million dollar job, and the democratic Party is entitled to 10 percent of that. Ms edwards told The Guardian her response to Lafayette was get out of my face. We are good people, she added. When asked why she was making this

Reginald Lafayette

explosive revelation now, she replied: I want everyone to know the truth. To back up her claim, she challenged Lafayette to take a lie detector test, and agreed to do the same. allegations of selling party endorsements by the Mt. Vernon democratic committee are not new. The Guardian learned that, during last years election, deveraux cannic, the current Mt. Vernon democratic committee chair, also solicited money for endorsements. The menu included $50,000 to purchase the partys endorsement for Mt. Vernon city comptroller -- which the incumbent, Maureen Walker, refused to pay, and $10,000 for the endorsement for Mt. Vernon city Judge. helen Blackwood received the partys endorsement and now sits on the bench. according to the New york state Board of elections, she paid. Ms. edwards compared endorsement selling in Mt. Vernon to the corruption perpetrated by clarence Norman, the disgraced former Kings county democratic chairman. Norman was also the former Brooklyn

assemblyman for the 43rd district which encompasses crown heights, Flatbush and Prospect Park. On september 27, 2005, a Brooklyn jury convicted Norman of violating elections laws and falsifying business records. In december that same year, Norman was convicted again on charges that he stole $5,000 from his re-election campaign. On February 23, 2007, Norman was convicted a third time for illegally soliciting contributions in connection with judicial elections. each verdict arose from an investigation by Kings county district attorney, charles hynes. The investigation originally focused on sale of judgeships in exchange for campaign contributions to the democratic Party. In a telephone interview, reginald Lafayette, now the Westchester county democratic chairman, told The Guardian none of Ms. edwards allegations are true.Its the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard, said Lafayette. They should have reported me back then in 2003. Lafayette added, how would they give me ten percent, thats $100,000? Give me a God damn break.

The Guardian asked Ms. edwards why she did not report the incident to authorities immediately after it occurred. she responded, They are not good people, and reggie assured me that nothing would ever come of any investigation. I dont have faith in the system. The system is corrupt. Lafayette told The Guardian he would welcome any investigation into edwardss allegations. however, he rebuffed her challenge to take mutual lie detector tests. This is not the Maury Povich show, he said. I dont want to be taking any lie detector test and find out Im the daddy joked Lafayette. My lawyer would tell me, you have to be out of your mind to be playing these stupid games with lie detector tests, he said. It is no secret political power bosses in Westchester county and around the nation are being challenged and assailed by thousands of political blogs written by average citizens fed up with corruption in politics. Lafayette said, These blogs disrupt peoples lives, emphasizing that he has no respect for them.

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