When you make purchases through our links we may earn a small commission.
Photo Credit: Jon Tyson
This article was republished with the implied consent from FactCheck.org, authored by Joseph A. Gambardello on November 20, 2020
πΊπΈ Support us on Patreon for only $1.99 a monthΒ πΊπΈ
π» Join us on Facebook @TheSmokingChair.com π»
Quick Take
Full Story
Since President Donald Trumpβs baseless allegation at the Sept. 29 presidential debate that βbad things happen in Philadelphiaβ during elections, the city of Philadelphia has been the target of false claims of voting irregularities, as weβve reported.
The shade cast on the city took another twist on Nov. 14, in a story publishedby The Buffalo Chronicle, a website operated by a right-wing political consultant that is regularly found to publish disinformation. The Chronicle article β which cites no named sources β claims South Philadelphia mob boss Joseph βSkinny Joeyβ Merlino and associates stuffed ballot boxes with 300,000 fraudulent votes for President-elect Joe Biden.
The story claims the scheme was supported by Democrats in the Philadelphia elections office and netted $3 million for Merlino and his associates. It also claims Merlino might be willing to drop a dime on the operation in public hearings in exchange for a pardon for all his past crimes from Trump β setting the stage for Pennsylvaniaβs Republican-controlled legislature to deny certification of the stateβs 20 electoral votes.
But Merlino β who served a 14-year prison sentence for extortion and illegal gambling βΒ has called the claims βcrazy,β according to his lawyer. A spokesman for Philadelphia election officials said the story is βludicrous.β And a Philadelphia mob expert said it βdoesnβt make any sense.β
Still, the bogus tale went viral on Nov. 16 after Jordan Sekulow, the son of Trump attorney Jay Sekulow, tweeted it with the admonition: βFollow all leads.β The story was picked up by far-right websites, such as Gateway Pundit, and spread on Facebook and other social media platforms. One Facebook user, @TheHipHopPatriot, posted a video calling the story βbreaking news.β
According to unofficial results, more than 604,000 votes in Philadelphia went to Biden and over 132,000 to Trump. Lawyers for Trumpβs campaign, led by his personal attorney Rudy Giuliani, have been trying without success to challenge the vote in Philadelphia and other Pennsylvania counties.
Even Giuliani, who has made no headway on discrediting the Pennsylvania election in court, alluded to the story in an interview on Fox Business on Nov. 17, but said it was βfar-fetched.β
The Chronicleβs story says the scheme involved the production of 300,000 raw ballots, which were filled in with Sharpie markers in a 60-hour operation at two homes before being dropped off βin non-descript boxesβ at the vote counting center at the Pennsylvania Convention Center.
βItβs just ludicrous to suggest anyone but authorized election officials could bring ballot boxes into the Convention Center,β Kevin Feeley, spokesman for the City Commissioners Office, which oversees elections, told us in a phone interview.
He said stories like this are βa disservice to all the decent, hard-working people who strive to make our elections transparent.β
The story claims that besides a presidential pardon, Merlinoβs motivation for exposing the operation included multimillion-dollar book deals and a clean record so he could fish and hunt on federal land and even get a job with the National Park Service.
βIβve never heard of him hunting or fishing or wanting to go to a wildlife preserve,β George Anastasia, an author and former reporter on organized crime at the Philadelphia Inquirer, told us in a phone interview. He noted that Merlino is currently living in Florida on supervised release for a gambling conviction.
Anastasia said he first thought the Chronicle story was satire. βIt stretches credulity. It does not make any sense,β said Anastasia, who could not recall mob involvement in election-day shenanigans in the past.
Merlinoβs attorney, John Meringolo, did not respond to our request for comment, but he told the New York Daily News that after reading the Chronicle story, Merlino said, βthese people are crazy.β
βMy client categorically denies all the allegations and Joey would rather die than ever be a snitch,β Meringolo told the New York Daily News.
The Buffalo Chronicle and its publisher, Matthew Ricchiazzi, a self-describedβpro-Trumpβ political consultant in western New York, have a reputation for spreading disinformation.
Last year, a joint investigation by BuzzFeed and the Toronto Star found that Ricchiazzi βpublished unsigned articles based on unnamed sources that allege backroom dealings at the highest levels of the Canadian governmentβ during Canadaβs election. βSeveral of the stories have been deemed false or unsupported by news organizations,β the report said.
BuzzFeed News and the Star said their investigation βconfirmed that Ricchiazzi once offered to publish positive or negative coverage of political candidates for a fee.β The fees: $200 for a positive story, $400 for a negative story about an opponent.
Twitter has suspended both the Chronicleβs and Ricchiazziβs accounts, the news organizations reported.
The CBCβs news program, βThe National,β also took a look at the Chronicle during a segment on the impact of fake news on the Canadian election, sending co-host Adrienne Arsenault to Buffalo, only to discover the siteβs listed address was an abandoned building.
The Chronicleβs fabricated story about Merlino again highlights the need for readers to check the source of a story and its content, and to see if the information is supported by solid reporting using legitimate, identifiable sources.
Editorβs note:Β FactCheck.orgΒ is one of several organizationsΒ working with FacebookΒ to debunk misinformation shared on social media. Our previous stories can be foundΒ here. Facebook hasΒ no controlΒ over our editorial content.
You’ll get more articles like this – and our favorite promotional offers delivered straight to your inbox.
By submitting this form you agree to our terms and conditions. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Sources
Associated Press.Β βReputed mobster βSkinny Joeyβ Merlino leaves Philly for Florida.β Pennlive. 5 Jan 2019.
Brown, Stephen Rex and Larry McShane. βPresident Trumpβs lawyer puts Philadelphia mobster βSkinny Joeyβ Merlino at center of election conspiracy.β New York Dailey News. 17 Nov 2020.
βElection interference is happening in Canada: What you can do to stop it.βCBC News. Nov 2019.
βFactChecking the First Trump-Biden Debate.β FactCheck.org. 30 Sep 2020.
Feeley, Kevin. Spokesman, Philadelphia City Commissioners. Telephone interview with FactCheck.org. 18 Nov 2020.
George Anastasia. Author on organized crime. Telephone interview with FactCheck.org. 18 Nov 2020.
βGiuliani: Two established βvehiclesβ ready to go to the Supreme Court.β Fox News. 17 Nov 2020.
Lytvynenko, Jane et al. βThe Canadian Electionβs Surprise Influencer Is A Buffalo Man Targeting Canadians With Viral Disinformation.β BuzzFeed and Toronto Star. 18 Oct 2019.
Philadelphia Election Results. Office of the Philadelphia City Commissioners. Accessed 19 Nov 2020.
Spencer, Saranac Hale. βOverblown Claims of βBad Thingsβ at Philly Polls.βFactCheck.org. 3 Nov 2020.
Trump Repeats Many Claims in Fox News Town Hall
Unraveling Misinformation About Bipartisan Immigration Bill
Video: Lily Alcott SKIMS VS. AMAZON TRY-ON HAUL
Video: Scarlett Blahyj SHEIN TRY ON HAUL (HOLIDAY OUTFITS)
Video: Valentine’s Day Lingerie Try On | Valentina Victoria
Video: Rae Fitness MARIEMUR Bold Luxury Looks Try-On Haul
Sorting Out the Partisan Tax Spin on Inflation Reduction Act
Trump Wrong on U.S. Agriculture Exports to China
Trump Exaggerates China Trade Impact on Farmers
Unraveling Misinformation About Bipartisan Immigration Bill
GFYG: Sexy CORSETS That Your Girl Will Love
GFYG: FashionNova New Year 2024 Haul! β‘ | Raven Wood Try-On
GFYG: MarieMur – Sexy Lingerie Try On Haul!