Three Developers Charged in Bloomingburg Voter Fraud Scheme

SHALOM LAMM, KENNETH NAKDIMEN, and VOLVY SMILOWITZ, a/k/a ‘Zev Smilowitz,’ were hit with federal charges today in White Plains, accused of orchestrating a brazen scheme to rig local elections in Bloomingburg, New York — all to fast-track their multimillion-dollar real estate projects. The indictment, unsealed by U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, alleges the developers conspired to corrupt the electoral process by flooding voter rolls with phony registrants who had no ties to the village — some of whom had never even set foot in Bloomingburg.

Starting in 2006, LAMM, NAKDIMEN, and SMILOWITZ pursued massive development plans in the Sullivan County hamlet, betting on hundreds of millions in profits. But by late 2013, their projects stalled amid local resistance and regulatory hurdles. Instead of backing down, the defendants allegedly shifted tactics — weaponizing democracy. In the run-up to the March 2014 mayoral election, they directed associates to register scores of non-residents as Bloomingburg voters, including out-of-state individuals and employees who lived elsewhere and had no intention of moving in.

To sell the ruse, prosecutors say the developers staged empty apartments like movie sets: toothbrushes and toothpaste were planted in barren kitchens, fake utility bills were generated, and leases were back-dated to fabricate residency. The goal? To trick election officials into accepting fraudulent registrations and tip the vote in favor of candidates sympathetic to the developers’ interests. One former Town Supervisor, HAROLD BAIRD, already pleaded guilty to conspiracy to submit false voter registrations, confirming the depth of the operation.

U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara didn’t mince words: ‘Profit-driven corruption of democracy cannot be allowed to stand no matter who does it or where it happens.’ Bharara painted the scheme as a cold, calculated assault on civic integrity — one where democracy was treated as a development permit to be bought. Federal investigators found evidence that the defendants paid bribes and offered subsidies to non-residents to register and vote, knowing full well they weren’t entitled to do so.

FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge William F. Sweeney Jr. slammed the defendants for putting personal profit ahead of public trust. ‘This type of behavior simply won’t be tolerated,’ Sweeney said, emphasizing that the FBI will pursue those who exploit elections for private gain. The FBI’s investigation, which included surveillance, document reviews, and interviews with insiders, peeled back layers of deception designed to mask the developers’ control over the electoral process.

The case lands in the Southern District of New York, a federal jurisdiction known for taking hard stances on public corruption. LAMM, NAKDIMEN, and SMILOWITZ face charges of conspiracy to corrupt the electoral process, a felony that carries significant prison time and fines. As Bloomingburg residents grapple with the betrayal, federal prosecutors vow this isn’t just about fake leases or staged apartments — it’s about protecting the foundational right to a fair vote.