Republican Candidate Caught on Camera Stealing Rival's Campaign Mailer

A New York State Assembly candidate swiped a rival's campaign mailer and then left his own political pitch, video of the incident shows.

Footage obtained by Newsweek shows Republican hopeful Joseph Mastroianni approaching a home in upstate New York and removing election mail that was sent by incumbent Democratic Assemblymember Angelo Santabarbara.

Mastroianni, who currently serves on the Rotterdam Town Board, then folds up Santabarbara's mailer, putting it into his pocket before replacing the message with his own, the Ring doorbell video shows.

"Bad, bad, bad," Mastroianni then says on the clip.

New York State Assembly candidate Joe Mastroianni is seen outside a home in Scotia on October 17, 2024. Footage from a doorbell camera shows the Republican hopeful removing a rival's campaign flyer. Courtesy of Frank Salamone

A message seeking comment from Mastroianni's campaign spokesman was not returned early Thursday.

A homeowner in Scotia notified Santabarbara's campaign following the October 17 incident. Schenectady County Democratic Committee chairman Frank Salamone then filed complaints with the U.S. Postal Service, state elections officials and local law enforcement agencies.

"For somebody to reach into a mailbox like that and for it to be on video, it's insane," Salamone told Newsweek while calling on Mastroianni to cease campaign activities and resign his current role.

The clarity on the video is "amazing," Salamone said.

New York State Assembly candidate Joe Mastroianni removes a campaign flyer sent by incumbent Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara on October 17, 2024. Courtesy of Frank Salamone

"You can actually make out the mail piece," he said of Santabarbara's removed mailer. "You can actually make out the pictures."

The homeowner also filed a complaint with police in Scotia, according to Salamone, who characterized Mastroianni's conduct as egregious and illegal.

"We're days away from Election Day and it's a pretty important thing to know that your candidate for public office—who currently holds public office—did this," Salamone said.

Salamone accused Mastroianni of making matters worse for himself during a press conference Wednesday outside of the Schenectady County Board of Elections, where the Republican candidate refused to address the incident directly.

A copy of the campaign flyer sent by New York State Assembly Member Angelo Santabarbara allegedly removed by Republican candidate Joe Mastroianni from a mailbox in Scotia on October 17, 2024. Courtesy of Frank Salamone

"The press conference last night really reinforces that," Salamone said. "If had gone in there and begged for forgiveness and said my emotions got the better of me and I did something really stupid and please forgive me, I don't it would've worked and it probably would've hurt him legally, but perhaps voters could say, 'Hey at least he owned up to what he did.'"

But refusing to answer questions about the footage is untenable for Mastroianni, Salamone said.

"To do what he did just reinforces the fact that there's no judgment there," he said. "There's no character there."

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service declined to confirm or deny early Thursday that an investigation into the incident has been launched.

"The Inspection Service continues to employ its technical capabilities and specialized personnel to protect the critical infrastructure of our processing and distribution networks, as well as the employees who will be delivering to voters across the country," the agency said in a statement.

Messages seeking comment from police in Scotia and town officials in Rotterdam were not immediately returned Thursday.