Election staffer charged with fraud

A Nassau County Board of Elections worker has been charged with forging a petition for a candidate for the County Legislature. The petition nominated Republican Christian Browne, who ran against Baldwin resident Joseph Scannell for the 5th District seat in 2009. The Nassau County district attorney’s office has accused 27-year-old Imtiaz Insanally of Valley Stream with writing false addresses on a nominating petition.

According to District Attorney Kathleen Rice, Insanally wrote false addresses for eight petition signers on an independent nominating petition for Browne to appear on the Tax Revolt Party line. Browne would later lose his election bid to Scannell.

Insanally is a part-time clerk for the Board of Elections. He works for the election machines department and has been employed by the board since October 2006.

He is also a volunteer for Assemblyman Brian Curran, and is set to join Curran’s paid staff when funding comes through. Curran said that Insanally denies the charges. “Mr. Insanally looks forward to presenting his side of the facts in this matter, which he believes will completely exonerate him,” Curran said. “Personally, Mr. Insanally has been a hard worker on behalf of my campaign for Assembly and I have full faith that when a full investigation of this matter is completed, Mr. Insanally will be found not to have done anything wrong.”

Insanally was arrested on Feb. 8 and charged with a felony count of first-degree offering a false instrument for filing, and a misdemeanor count of misconduct in relation to petitions.

According to Rice, Insanally wrote the false addresses on Aug. 18 and 19, 2009, to meet the requirement for the number of signatures to get Browne on the ballot. According to investigators, none of the addresses Insanally provided exist.

“Whether you’re talking about a highly sophisticated case of systemic corruption or something as simple as this case,” Rice said, “they are both violations of the public’s trust and of our democratic process, and my office will continue to have no tolerance for that.”

“He was not affiliated with my campaign,” Browne said. “I don’t really know him. He was working for the Republican committee. I hope he didn’t do anything wrong. If he did and the district attorney has evidence of any wrongdoing, then he will have to bear the consequences of his actions.”

“I think it is very sad, if these allegations are true,” said Scannell, who defeated Browne by about 400 votes. “It is sad not only for the young man and his family, but also for those who are already disillusioned with politics.”

Insanally’s attorney, Arshad Majid, called his client a “fine young man” and expressed his belief that he would be cleared of the charges. “I’m confident that once all of the evidence is presented in this case,” Majid said, “it will become clear that Mr. Insanally did not engage in the criminal acts with which he is charged.”

Insanally could face up to four years in prison if convicted. He was to be arraigned on Tuesday in First District Court.

Chris Connolly contributed to this story. Comments about it CConnolly@LIHerald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 283.