Marlborough City Council Candidate Indicted on Voter Fraud Charges

A 2011 candidate for councilor-at-large has been indicted on voter fraud charges, Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone said Tuesday.

Mark Evangelous, 51, of Marlborough, was indicted by a Middlesex County grand jury on charges of forgery, uttering, and violating absentee voting laws. 

An arraignment date has not yet been set.

“We allege that this defendant, a candidate in the 2011 Marlborough city election, intentionally forged a signature of a deceased resident in an attempt to provide himself with an advantage in the election,” Leone said. “These allegations are a direct violation of the people’s right to a true and honest democratic process and, under Massachusetts law, are criminal.”

Evangelous had no comment as of this post saying he was unaware of the charges until being contacted by Marlborough Patch. 

Marlborough Patch also contacted Marlborough's mayor and former city council president for comment. He had not issued a statement as of this post. 

Ward 3 councilor Matt Elder said Tuesday afternoon in a tweet to Marlborough Patch, "It's a shame he did something so stupid that would have such little impact on a race. (It) makes us that work hard for Marlborough look bad."

According to authorities, on Oct. 28, 2011, at approximately 9:45 a.m., Evangelous submitted a handwritten absentee ballot application to Marlborough city hall. The ballot was filled out with the name of an 89-year-old Marlborough resident, said a release. The resident’s signature appeared at the bottom of the application and the designated area under the signature line to state that the person needed assistance in completing the form, was left blank.

Upon receiving the form, a Marlborough city hall employee examined and matched the application against current citizens in Marlborough who were registered to vote in that election. During this review, it was determined that the resident listed on the ballot was not registered to vote in the election and had passed away earlier in the year, the report continued.

"Marlborough Police were notified that there was a question regarding an absentee ballot application that was dropped off at , said Capt. Paul Valianti at the time. "This application was determined not to be valid."

Authorities allege that Evangelous filled out and signed the absentee ballot knowing that the resident whose name he was using was deceased. It is further alleged that he provided false information to police regarding his knowledge of the investigation. 

These charges are allegations and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty, said Leone. 

Evangelous spoke with Marlborough Patch in an interview that was published several days after the incident at city hall. He said that if elected he would focus on business and economic development, and create jobs by rolling back permitting fees and lowering regulations that are hidden taxes deterring business. 

“We have to help businesses because they are the engines of economic prosperity,” noted Evangelous at the time.

Evangelous subsequently did not win the seat in the Nov. 1 elections. 

The prosecutor assigned to this case is Assistant District Attorney Christopher Tarrant. This case was investigated by the Marlborough Police Department and prosecutors assigned to the Middlesex District Attorney’s PACT Unit.

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to keep up to date on the latest Marlborough news, or simply hit the "like" button at the top of this page. If you'd like to receive the daily newsletter with our top stories, click here.