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A New York man was arrested after he was allegedly captured on video stealing campaign signs belonging to Republican congressional candidate Anthony Constantino while driving his employer’s vehicle.
Josef Marris was charged with two counts of criminal possession of stolen property, according to the Essex County Sheriff’s Office. He was also fired from East Branch Organics, according to Constantino’s campaign.
Constantino, who is running in New York’s 21st Congressional District, said the alleged thefts were intended to intimidate his supporters.
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“My campaign has lost more than $100,000 to sign theft and vandalism,” Constantino told Fox News Digital. “There are now multiple attempts to intimidate my supporters by people who are clearly pro-crime and pro-violence. The media needs to stop pretending this is a both-sides problem.”
Constantino’s campaign alleged that Marris carried out the thefts on behalf of Democratic candidate Blake Gendebien. Gendebien’s campaign did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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Constantino also criticized Gendebien in a post on X, writing that the Democrat “is surrounded by FAR LEFT EXTREMISTS.”
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Marris has described himself as a communist and an Antifa supporter, according to social media posts reviewed by Fox News Digital. In April 2023, he posted an image of the three-arrow symbol, which has historically been associated with several socialist and anti-fascist movements.
The symbol alone does not establish that Marris is a member of Antifa or that Gendebien’s campaign had any connection to the alleged thefts.
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The incident comes as Gendebien leads Constantino in a closely watched race to succeed retiring Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., in the 21st Congressional District.
One of the district’s media stations, North Country Public Radio, has flipped the congressional district from “solid” Republican to “likely” Republican.
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