The Atlantic County Democratic Committee has issued a cease-and-desist letter to private investigators accused of intimidating South Asian residents in Atlantic City over alleged voter fraud.
Democratic Chairman Michael Suleiman said the investigators, linked to a Galloway Township firm, are targeting members of the community. He called the actions “disgusting” and said they reflect a broader climate of xenophobia.
The committee said it has received video, text messages and phone recordings documenting the alleged intimidation. Suleiman warned that if the behavior continues, legal action will follow.
“We’ve led the state in stamping out voter fraud, and we are not going to tolerate voter intimidation, either,” Suleiman said.
In a cease-and-desist letter sent last Friday to the Galloway security services firm COPS LLC, Colin Bell, the Democratic committee’s attorney, claims all those contacted were of South Asian descent. The letter includes screenshots of text messages, a voicemail recording and a Ring video of an investigator named William Dickerson visiting a home.
Patrick Hurley, a retired Atlantic City police officer who runs COPS LLC, said in an interview with BreakingAC, his company was hired to investigate possible issues related to the election and that his employees’ behavior was professional. He declined to name the client.
Bell wrote that the Ring footage shows the man holding up an identification bearing the name “William Dickerson,” but he told those he tried to speak with his name was Andrew. Hurley said Dickerson also goes by Andrew, which is his middle name.
“To the extent that voters are being targeted for ‘investigation’ based on their race, ethnicity, or national origin, we believe such conduct is contrary to New Jersey’s anti-discrimination and civil rights laws,” Bell wrote.
Contact John O’Connor:
609-272-7247
joconnor@pressofac.com
X @acpressoconnor
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