Mother, son face charges in West Scranton ballot tampering probe

A mother and son face felony and misdemeanor charges stemming from an investigation into ballot tampering at a West Scranton polling place during the Nov. 4 municipal election.

The Lackawanna County District Attorney’s Office charged Kathie Sico, 67, and Michael Sico, 46, both of 305 Chestnut St., Dunmore, in the probe that began after the county Bureau of Elections received a report from a voter who alleged they were handed a ballot with Kathie Sico’s name already written in the write-in space for judge of election for Scranton Ward 6 Precinct 1.

The election bureau referred the complaint about the incident, which occurred at the Jackson Heights polling place, to the DA’s Office.

Kathie Sico was working as the assigned judge of election for Scranton 6-1 during the municipal election.

Of 141 ballots cast there on Election Day, 35 had the name Kathie Sico written in the sections for judge of election and/or inspector of election. Two of five “spoiled,” or discarded ballots, also had her name written-in for judge of election, charging documents note.

In an interview Wednesday at the DA’s Office, the elder Sico admitted to writing her own name on two ballots.

“She stated that she had done so because someone had asked her to and then someone else came and took the ballot instead,” county Detective Colleen Catanese wrote in an affidavit of probable cause. “She went on to say that she thinks her son wrote on a couple as people were standing there asking them how to spell her last name.”

During her interview, Kathie Sico denied prewriting her name on any ballots but said if she did, she didn’t remember, per the charging documents.

She “stated that she knows it looks like voter fraud, but she has had so much going on the past couple weeks with her medical condition that she didn’t even think,” the affidavit notes.

District Attorney Brian Gallagher confirmed Friday that his office issued arrest warrants for the mother and son. He expects them to turn themselves in early next week.

Gallagher stressed the judge of election race was the only one impacted. There were no candidates on the ballot for that position in Scranton 6-1.

Sico wouldn’t be able to hold the elected position anyway because she lives in Dunmore, he said.

Both Kathie and Michael Sico face felony charges of fraud by election officers and interference with primaries/elections, respectively, as well as related misdemeanor counts.