NEW YORK, NY — Nicole Torres, a Bronx district leader and former employee of the New York City Board of Elections, pled guilty Thursday to conspiracy to commit extortion and mail fraud in a scheme that defrauded the city and exploited election integrity for personal profit, federal prosecutors announced.
Torres, 44, admitted to running a multi-year operation that involved soliciting payments from Bronx residents in exchange for assigning them as poll workers and falsifying attendance records to steal wages meant for legitimate election workers. She entered her plea before U.S. District Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil.
“For five years, Nicole Torres abused her position of public trust as an elected official and City employee by taking bribes and falsifying records in connection with the selection and placement of poll workers in the Bronx,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Matthew Podolsky.
Federal authorities said Torres used her position at the NYC Board of Elections and as a district leader for the 81st Assembly District to collect approximately $28,000 in illegal payments between 2019 and 2024. Individuals paid her—often $150 each—via mobile apps, checks, and money orders, some of which she altered to deposit into her own account.
In a separate scheme, Torres and her co-conspirators falsified official NYC-BOE records to make it appear that certain individuals worked election shifts they did not actually attend. She coordinated with site supervisors to log “no-show” workers in the system and then split the resulting paychecks. Torres personally collected about $36,000 from the fraud.
Torres faces up to 40 years in prison
Torres pled guilty to one count each of conspiracy to commit extortion and conspiracy to commit mail fraud, both of which carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Her sentencing is scheduled for July 8, 2025.
Key Points
- Nicole Torres pled guilty to conspiracy to commit extortion and mail fraud tied to poll worker bribes and falsified records.
- She collected over $64,000 in illegal proceeds by selling poll worker positions and pocketing wages for no-show workers.
- Torres will be sentenced in July and faces a maximum of 40 years in federal prison.
Federal prosecutors credited the FBI and New York City Department of Investigation for uncovering the long-running public corruption scheme.