ROTTERDAM, NY (WRGB) — Scotia police say they are continuing to investigate the video where State 111st Assembly Republican candidate Joe Mastrioanni appears to be taking his opponent’s mailer out of a resident’s mailbox, replacing it with his own.
On Wednesday evening, after Mastrioanni refused to answer questions about the video at a press conference he called to respond to the reports, reporters were told they’d have an opportunity to speak with him on Thursday.
After connecting with the Mastrioanni campaign on Thursday morning, the campaign sent a statement in the afternoon saying:
“In light of reports that there is an ongoing investigation, an upon advice of counsel, our candidate will not be scheduling interviews.”
During Wednesday night’s Rotterdam Town Board meeting, of which Mastrioanni sits as a Board member, some residents expressed frustration over the video, calling on him to resign.
“Why would you risk losing your political career for one stupid flier,” Brenda Torosian, a regular at Town Board meetings, said.
Following the meeting Torosian, who called on the entire Board to step down if they didn’t ask Mastrioanni to resign, spoke with CBS6.
“I was surprised that the board did not say anything about his stepping down,” she said. “If we have somebody on the town board, that’s basically a thief, we don’t need that. He owes the residents of Rotterdam an apology for what he did.”
Stolen mail could potentially carry a felony charge and potential time in prison. Matt Winchell, Associate Attorney at Tully Rinckey, who is not affiliated with the case, says penalties, if convicted, could vary.
“Sentencing is up to the judge, so the judge will take a lot into consideration, including the person’s prior criminal history, I’m not sure if he has a prior criminal history or not,” Winchell says. “And two, I don’t know how many he took, did he only take the one? Did he take multiple? I think that is the question that has yet to be answered.”
