Chicago Alderman Stone's Ally on trial for vote fraud

The Chicago Sun-Times report:

Four members of a West Rogers Park family testified Monday that Ald. Bernard Stone's (50th) ward superintendent Anish Eapen coaxed them to vote absentee, collected their ballots and then mailed them during the heated 2007 aldermanic race.

The Panchigars said Eapen came to their townhomes, at Devon and Hoyne, and watched them as they filled out the absentee ballot applications and forms for both the 2007 February general election and the run-offs in April later that year when Stone edged out challenger Naisy Dolar.

Hema Panchigar, who isn't even registered to vote, said she even got Eapen fill out her ballot. She signed the ballot as did all her relatives, but said, "I didn't mark anything."

Some of the Panchigars said they might have told Eapen it would be easier for them to vote absentee in 2007 since their octogenarian matriarch was ill. But they said they never marked the ballots indicating they'd be out of town during the elections.

Vote fraud in Chicago? For those of you who don't know, Alderman Stone happened to be best friends with Alderman Roti. Roti was identified by the United States Department of Justice as a "made member" of the Chicago Mob in 1991 and 1999.