The FBI is investigating Suffolk County Democratic Party Chairman Rich Schaffer following claims from party insiders that he tried to buy votes to secure his own reelection, according to sources.
Schaffer, who has led the county party for 26 years, won reelection to the chairmanship last month despite accusations that he pressured committee members and offered money to some in exchange for their support. Several party members and local government officials said federal agents had contacted them to ask about Schaffer. The FBI declined to comment.
Multiple Democrats and former Schaffer allies have described what they call a pressure campaign, including claims of backdoor arrangements with the local Republican Party to keep Democrats off the ballot in some races so GOP candidates could run unopposed.
Schaffer faced a challenge from progressive candidate Kathryn Casey Quigley in what became a bitter internal party fight. Accusers say he threatened to have committee members fired from party-connected jobs and offered cash to those willing to back him over Quigley.
Text messages reviewed by The Post indicate Schaffer offered payments to at least three committee members in exchange for showing up to vote for him. In one exchange, Schaffer allegedly asked about paying a committee member’s father to skip his night shift as a security guard so he could vote instead, writing, “Can we pay him to miss work?”
Audio secretly recorded at a meeting at party headquarters before last month’s election reportedly captures a Schaffer ally pressuring committee members to support the chairman or risk losing their jobs.
Islip Town Democratic Chairwoman Leigh-Ann Barde, who has said she once viewed Schaffer as a “political father figure,” broke with him after he allegedly threatened her husband, Roc Romain, on that recording. Romain is a committee member who works at the Suffolk County Board of Elections.
Schaffer has denied the allegations, calling them baseless, and said as of Wednesday he had not been contacted by law enforcement. His attorney, Mark Lesko, defended him in a statement.
“Anyone that knows the reality of Long Island politics understands that Rich Schaffer is the model of professionalism and ethics,” Lesko said. “We are confident in the facts and will not give these politically motivated allegations any credence.”
The New York State Attorney General’s office has previously confirmed it is reviewing whistleblower complaints filed against Schaffer.
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