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Fullerton City Council candidate charged with perjury over election documents

By CNS Staff
Published  October 15, 2024 7:51pm PDT
Fullerton
FOX 11

Fullerton council candidate charged with perjury

Scott Markowitz, a Fullerton City Council candidate has been charged with perjury for allegedly not collecting nomination signatures himself. He will not be eligible for the seat.

FULLERTON, Calif. - A Fullerton City Council candidate is facing charges of lying about circulating petitions for his campaign, prosecutors said Tuesday.

Scott Edward Markowitz was charged Friday with perjury by declaration and procuring or offering false or forged documents to be filed, registered or recorded, both felonies.

Markowitz was arrested Monday night and booked into the Santa Ana city jail.

Efforts to reach Markowitz were not immediately successful.

Markowitz will remain on the ballot for next month's election, but if he is elected he cannot take office, according to the Orange County District Attorney's Office.

The other candidates in the race are Vivian "Kitty" Jaramillo, a Democrat, Jamie Valencia, a Democrat, and Republican Linda Whitaker.

City Council candidates must personally collect signatures from voters to get on the ballot and must sign a document verifying they did so, or face perjury charges.

Markowitz signed nomination documents on Aug. 9 that he personally circulated petitions with 30 signatures, prosecutors said. But multiple voters who signed his petition told prosecutors he was not the one who asked them to sign it, prosecutors alleged.