Candidate for 111th assembly district addresses mail theft claims

SCOTIA, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The local assembly candidate, who has been accused of being caught on camera taking his opponent's political flier out of someone's mailbox in Scotia and replacing it with his own, spoke to NEWS10 on Friday.

Joseph Mastroianni, the republican running in the 111th district against democratic incumbent Angelo Santabarbara, is under investigation after allegedly being caught on a Ring camera taking Santabarbara's election mailer.

It is a crime to take someone else's mail. During an interview with NEWS10 on Friday, we attempted three times to get him to discuss the video and asked what voters should think of him. He insisted his lawyer told him not to comment.

"It's frustrating that I can't communicate about the situation, but I'm fully cooperating with all authorities, and ah, I look forward to the resolution to this issue," he said.

Mastroianni, a Rotterdam Town Board member, said he hopes voters will consider a wide range of issues when choosing their candidates.

The incident has made national news and was covered by Newsweek and the New York Post.