Councilman Accused Of Forging Signatures On Petitions

PEEKSKILL, NY — A councilman in the city of Peekskill has been accused of filing fraudulent petitions.

Westchester County District Attorney Miriam Rocah said Wednesday that Robert Scott, 44, of Peekskill, was arrested and accused of filing designating petitions containing forged signatures for a seat on the Westchester County Board of Legislators in the June 2023 Democratic primary election.

He was charged with first-degree offering a false instrument for filing, a felony.

Rocah said Scott, who was seeking to be on the ballot for county legislator in June, signed his petitions as a witness verifying forged signatures.

“Free and fair elections are the foundation of our democracy,” she said. “Undermining the petition process in an attempt to get on the ballot in an election violates the public’s trust.”

Patch reached out to Scott who replied that he has been cooperating with the DA's office.

“I have been in communication and in full cooperation with the DA’s office since the beginning of this complaint and hope the matter can be put behind us shortly so that I, as an elected official, can get back to what’s most important, which is being in service of our community,” he said. “I ask for patience as we sort through the matter.”

Scott was arrested Tuesday by the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office and issued a desk appearance ticket for an April 30 arraignment in White Plains City Court.

Prosecutors said, on April 10, 2023, he filed with the Westchester County Board of Elections designating petitions containing forged signatures of eight individuals who told the DA’s office investigators that they never signed a petition for the defendant.

The forged signatures appeared on three of the 37 sheets that the defendant signed as a witness, the DA’s office said.

Scott was trying to get on the Democratic Party ballot for Westchester County Board of Legislators District 1, which is comprised of Peekskill and parts of Cortlandt and Yorktown.

The Criminal Investigators Squad of the DA’s office launched an investigation in July 2023 after receiving complaints from people who said their signatures were forged.

In a news release Tuesday, Peekskill City Manager Matt Alexander said his office learned that Councilman Rob Scott was charged by the Westchester County District Attorney with filing false documents.

“The City understands that this is a serious charge,” he said, “and that information is currently developing.”

Alexander said the city will address and comment further once information becomes available.

Scott has lived in Peekskill for more than 25 years. He is a licensed personal trainer and the owner and operator of PK Blendz Juice Bar, according to his bio on the Peekskill city website.