A man from New York was arrested after allegedly being caught on video stealing campaign signs belonging to Republican congressional candidate Anthony Constantino while driving his boss’s vehicle.
Josef Marris has been charged with two counts of criminal possession of stolen property, as reported by the Essex County Sheriff’s Office. Following the incident, he was also terminated from his position at East Branch Organics, according to Constantino’s campaign.
Constantino, running in New York’s 21st Congressional District, claimed that these alleged thefts were intended to intimidate his supporters.
“My campaign has lost over $100,000 to sign theft and vandalism,” Constantino shared with Fox News Digital. “There have been various attempts to intimidate my supporters by individuals who clearly support crime and violence. The media really needs to stop framing this as a problem on both sides.”
Constantino’s campaign accused Marris of carrying out the thefts for Democratic candidate Blake Gendebien, although Gendebien’s campaign did not respond to requests for comments.
In a post on X, Constantino also criticized Gendebien, stating that he “is surrounded by FAR LEFT EXTREMISTS.”
Marris has openly identified himself as a communist and Antifa supporter in past social media posts, which Fox News Digital reviewed. In one April 2023 post, he shared an image featuring the three-arrow symbol linked historically to various socialist and anti-fascist movements.
The presence of the symbol on its own doesn’t confirm Marris’s affiliation with Antifa, nor does it imply any connection between him and Gendebien’s campaign regarding the alleged thefts.
This incident is noteworthy as Gendebien is currently leading in a closely watched election aimed at succeeding retiring Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., in the 21st Congressional District.
In an update, one media outlet in the district, North Country Public Radio, has shifted the classification of the congressional race from “solid” Republican to “likely” Republican.
