New Jersey postal worker arrested after allegedly discarding nearly 100 ballots

A US Postal Service worker in New Jersey has been arrested after allegedly discarding nearly 100 mail-in ballots.

1,875 pieces of mail were retrieved from a dumpster in North Arlington and West Orange, New Jersey, on October 2nd and 5th according to ABC 7. Nicholas Beauchene, a 26-year-old from nearby Kearny, was charged with one count of obstruction of mail and another count of delay, secretion, or rejection of mail. The recovered pieces of mail included 99 ballots for the upcoming US Presidential election.

The discarded mail also included 276 flyers related to the local town council elections.

Beauchene, who faces up to five and a half years in prison and over $250,000 USD in fines if convicted on both counts, was the only mail carrier assigned to the addresses to which the recovered mail was addressed on the days they were to be delivered.

The discarded mail was discovered by New Jersey resident Howard Dinger, who said he found the mail in a dumpster behind a bank.

While no clear motive has been established, the revelation gives credence to the millions of Americans who are concerned about the potential for mail-in voting to lead to voter fraud.

Nine ballots were discovered discarded in a dumpster in neighbouring Pennsylvania two weeks ago, seven of which were cast for President Donald Trump. The President has repeatedly expressed concern over the potential for mail-in voter fraud to swing the election in favour of his opponent, former Vice President Joe Biden.

"They’re sending millions of ballots all over the country. There’s fraud. They found them in creeks. They found some, just happened to have the name Trump just the other day in a wastepaper basket," Trump stated during last week's Presidential debate. "This is going to be a fraud like you've never seen it."

Beauchene is scheduled to appear in court in Newark, New Jersey this afternoon.