Ramapo candidate is a felon, lives in NJ

Samuel Tress, a Democratic candidate for the Ramapo Town Board, has a federal mail-fraud conviction and, when questioned about whether he lives in New Jersey, admitted he does.

Tress, currently a member of the Ramapo Zoning Board of Appeals, initially said he lived at a Monsey apartment he rents. He later clarified, "I'm not denying that I live in New Jersey, but I am most of the week in Monsey."

He acknowledged being federally prosecuted in 2004 and said the community doesn't know about it. The 70-year-old Tress, however, claims that case was dismissed.

"I don't remember if I actually pleaded guilty," he said.

His lawyer then, Michael Pollok, declined comment but court records show that Tress pleaded guilty in December 2004 to the felony, admitting he falsely assumed an identity to obtain a home mortgage loan from a bank in connection with the purchase of a home in Spring Valley. He was sentenced in March 2005 to three years of supervised release.

Tress, the CEO of East Morgan Holdings, a Lakewood, New Jersey-based remediation company, owns a home in Lakewood, tax records show. His apartment in Monsey is on Kearsing Parkway. He's registered to vote at that apartment.

Tress voted in the primary, according to state Board of Elections records obtained under the Freedom of Information Law.

Under state Election Law, to qualify to vote at an address, someone must intend to make it their permanent home. To run for office, someone must be prepared to reside in the district when they are elected.

Also, zoning board members are required to be residents of the district. Tress said he's "not that active in politics" and was encouraged to run.

"I was approached by community leaders and some of the rabbis, they felt I sort of had a neutral stand on issues," he said.

His aim, he said, is to build political alliances to address traffic congestion and development issues.

Democratic town Supervisor Christopher St. Lawrence, said he supports Tress because he "comes from a very good family and he's a very good person who would do a very good job."

Asked about Tress' mail-fraud conviction, St. Lawrence said he didn't know about it.

Michael Parietti, who is running for town supervisor on the Republican and Preserve Ramapo lines, said Tress doesn't belong on the board when told about his conviction.

"I think if he's got a mail-fraud conviction, he's obviously not a very trustworthy person and we don't need someone like that on the town council," he said. "I think that calls into question St. Lawrence's character and why he's associating himself with people like this."