A Democrat running for public office on Long Island was hit with criminal charges for allegedly taking down a lawn sign of his Republican opponent and replacing it with one of his own, police said.
Jacob Scheiner, who is vying to be the Nassau County legislator, was charged with petit larceny and criminal possession of stolen property, according to the Nassau County Police.
Scheiner, the Democratic candidate for District 14, can be seen removing a campaign lawn sign for GOP incumbent William Gaylor in West Hempstead on Oct. 22. in a Ring camera video posted on Facebook.
“Complainant reported to police that defendant Jacob Scheiner acted in concert with another unidentified male who removed a Gaylor for Legislator sign and replaced it with a Scheiner for Legislator’ sign on Nassau Blvd, West Hempstead,” Nassau Police said in its report provided to The Post.
“The unidentified male removed the sign and defendant Scheiner operated the vehicle in which they used to leave the location. The defendant was charged with Petit Larceny and Criminal Possession of Stolen Property. Both are class A Misdemeanors. The investigation is ongoing,” police said.
Scheiner later claimed Wednesday he’s the victim of a “politically motivated and outrageously false accusation.” He said he previously got the OK from the homeowner to remove Gaylor’s lawn sign.
“I am demanding that the ring doorbell camera footage of my initial friendly conversation with the homeowner, in which I was granted permission to replace lawn signs, be fully released to the public,” Scheiner said in a statement.
“To accuse me of ‘stealing’ a sign in broad daylight when I know I was being recorded is outrageous, unethical and a deliberate attempt to undermine our strong campaign. This would not have happened had my opponent not been seriously concerned about losing the election,” he said.
The Nassau County Republican Party fired back, “Only in America could a politician like Jake Scheiner be caught on tape committing a crime yet claim he is a victim.”
Scheiner is just the latest Long Island pol to have a run-in with the law.
Lying Rep. George Santos faces a plethora of federal campaign finance fraud charges and a House Ethics Committee probe that also includes claims that he violated federal conflict of interest laws and sexually harassed a former staffer. He has denied wrongdoing.