A Floral Park man received a 140-count indictment Tuesday for allegedly casting 20 absentee ballots that belonged to other voters during the 2022 Democratic primary election, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said. 

Abdul Rahman, 32, pleaded not guilty to falsifying business records, criminal possession of a forged instrument and other crimes related to submitting false absentee ballots. 

Rahman faces up to seven years in prison if convicted.

“Every vote has to count. Election integrity is the foundation of a viable, working democracy. We will vigorously prosecute anyone who threatens in any way to undermine that integrity,” Katz said in a statement. “To investigate and prosecute anyone for voter fraud takes time and resources I am willing to commit. I thank my Public Corruption Bureau and the Board of Elections and for their important work on this case. The integrity of elections will be upheld in this borough.”

Rahman in 2022 ran an unsuccessful campaign to become the judicial delegate in Assembly District 38 two months before the ballots were allegedly cast.

Prosecutors did not say who Rahman voted for with the ballots or what race the alleged fraud occurred in. Only a state Senate seat was on the ballot in Richmond Hill that primary cycle. 

Authorities said they became aware of the alleged crimes once Jordan Sandke, a resident in the Richmond Hills neighborhood of Queens, tried to cast his ballot on Aug. 23, 2022, before being told he could not because an absentee ballot had already been requested in his name. 

A later investigation discovered that a ballot was requested in Sanke’s name on Aug. 1 that year and designated Rahman to pick it up on his behalf, Katz said. 

Sandke never submitted an absentee ballot application, met Rahman or authorized him to pick up the ballot on his behalf, Katz said.

Rahman allegedly dropped off 118 absentee ballots to the Queens County Board of Elections on Aug. 8, 2022, that all said he was designated to pick up the ballots on the voters’ behalf, Katz said. 32 of the ballots were approved and picked up the next day. 

Rahman faces 20 counts of criminal possession of a forged instrument in the second degree, 20 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree, 20 counts of offering a false instrument for filing in the first degree, 20 counts of criminal possession of a forged instrument in the third degree, 20 counts of falsifying business records in the second degree, 20 counts of offering a false instrument for filing in the second degree and 20 counts of illegal voting.

Rahman is due in court on Jan. 30, 2024. 

Queens Board of Elections Deputy Supervisor Vincent Ignizio said commended the district attorney’s office for investigating the case and bringing it to an indictment. 

“Protecting our democracy and the elections process is the responsibility of all Americans – and the Board is grateful to District Attorney Melinda Katz and her staff for all of their efforts in this investigation,” Ignizio said.