Chairman Bill Spain and Party Concede Violations in Court; Con Party Must Pay Byrne Campaign’s Legal Fees, Amid Questions Over Conservative Party’s Undisclosed Campaign Spending
Putnam County Executive Kevin Byrne has prevailed in a lawsuit against the local compromised Putnam County Conservative Party following their distribution of multiple intentionally deceptive campaign mailings violating the election law attacking Byrne.
During court proceedings, Chairman William Spain and the Conservative Party acknowledged violations of New York State Election Law involving campaign mailings that were designed to intentionally mislead and deceive voters. Judge Gina Capone presided in court over the settlement in Byrne’s favor, marking a significant legal victory against what onlookers described as a continued pattern of deliberate deception by the local Conservative Party leadership.
Spain, representing the Conservative Party in Court, acknowledged on the record that the Putnam County Conservative Party “created materially deceptive media in violation of Election Law § 14-106(5)(a)(i)” and that “the challenged images…depict a scenario that did not occur or was significantly altered.”
Because of its violation of the Election Law, the Conservative Party will have to pay Byrne’s legal fees once those fees are determined by the Court.
“These were intentionally deceptive political mailings designed to mislead Putnam County voters, and now the people responsible have been forced to answer for their actions in court. This wasn’t an innocent mistake or a misunderstanding of the law, and they have admitted that. Do not trust anything that comes from the Putnam County Conservative Party,” said Byrne. “The locally compromised leadership of the Conservative Party has repeatedly demonstrated a willingness to disregard the rules, deceive the public, and undermine the integrity of our elections. Today, the court held them accountable.”
“The Conservative Party has always stood for the rule of law, honest elections, and accountability in government. Those principles must apply equally to everyone, including our own party leadership,” said New York State Conservative Party Chairman Gerard Kassar. “The conduct described in these court proceedings is deeply troubling and should concern every Conservative voter. Political disagreements are one thing, but misleading voters and violating election law are entirely another. The people of Putnam County deserve transparency, integrity, and confidence in the electoral process.”
Beyond the deceptive nature of the mailings, the Judge’s ruling is raising concerns about the Putnam County Conservative Party’s failure to file any financial disclosures since their campaign began in August.
New York’s campaign finance disclosure requirements are intended to ensure voters can identify who is funding political activities and hold those responsible accountable. The absence of corresponding disclosures raises additional questions about who paid for the mailings, how much was spent, and whether other election law requirements were violated.
“Who paid for these mailings? How much money was spent? And why hasn’t the Conservative Party disclosed that information? Is it because they are being financed by Brett Yarris and his big government socialist allies? Yarris knows the only way for socialists to take over Putnam is for him to split the center-right vote. We’ve seen this playbook before when the Conservatives were conned by Big Government groups and their donor class to fool voters, split the center-right vote, and lose a state Senate seat that was critical to the then Republican majority in 2012. We know they’re trying to do the same thing here, but I believe the voters see through these trashy mailers and treat it like it is… trash. True, principled believers of limited government, the Constitution, the rule of law, and family values can support me on the Republican (Row B) and Libertarian (Row F) this election, early and on Election Day.”
The controversy raises particularly serious questions about Chairman Bill Spain, who is simultaneously seeking election to a judicial office in Brooklyn.
The lawsuit represents the latest controversy involving the Putnam County Conservative Party’s leadership during the 2026 election cycle.