Stockton Council Candidate Arrested for Using Bar as Fake Home Address, Drops Out

Desiree Lynch withdrew from Stockton's District 5 race after her arrest on five felony charges, including perjury, for falsely listing a cocktail lounge as her residence.

Stockton Council Candidate Withdrew After Bar Listed as Home Address

A woman running for a seat on the Stockton City Council dropped out of the race Monday after her arrest last week on five felony charges, NY Post Metro reports. Desiree Lynch, who was seeking the District 5 seat, had allegedly listed a local bar as her home address to satisfy residency requirements.

"Today Ms. Lynch resigned and withdrew from the race effective immediately," her attorney, Allen Sawyer, said in a statement. "In light of the legal process she is facing, there will be no other comment on this matter. Ms. Lynch is focused on taking care of her daughter and will devote 100% of her attention to her family responsibilities."

Lynch faces three counts of perjury, causing or allowing false voter registration, and filing a false nomination or declaration of candidacy. Candidates for the Stockton City Council are required to live within the district they seek to represent.

The San Joaquin County District Attorney's Office said its investigation found Lynch was actually residing in Lodi and North Stockton — including an area within District 1, not District 5. Prosecutors allege she used two addresses to fraudulently establish District 5 residency: one at Harry's Cocktail Lounge on East Charter Way and another at the Doyle Garden Apartments on East Oak Street.

Lynch, a mother and nurse, had campaigned on bringing "real solutions for working families" and pledged to clean up both City Hall and Stockton's streets. Her campaign website stated: "Stockton residents are frustrated, angry, and heartbroken by what's happening in our city. Infighting at City Hall, neglect of our neighborhoods, and rising crime have left too many people questioning whether our leaders are truly listening."

Before Lynch's arrest, Stockton Mayor Christina Fugazi's office had already called on her to suspend her campaign over residency concerns. Lynch initially refused. Following the arrest, Fugazi reiterated the seriousness of the matter: "If questions were serious enough to raise concerns about the integrity of the process before today, they remain serious enough to answer tomorrow."

The District Attorney's Office was pointed in its assessment of the case. "The integrity of our elections is the bedrock of our democratic process, and we must ensure that every election is run fairly and without fraud," the office said. "The constituents of this community deserve a representative who actually lives in their neighborhoods, not an opportunist manufacturing a fake address to cheat the system."

Lynch was booked into jail on $100,000 bail. She is scheduled to appear in court on September 2 and faces a maximum sentence of six years and eight months in state prison if convicted.

Source: NY Post Metro