Independent presidential candidate Robert F Kennedy Jr has been accused of lying about his voting address as his Westchester County residence enters foreclosure after payments were not made, court records have revealed.
Even as neighbours shared their surprise at Mr Kennedy living in the neighbourhood, the Kennedy campaign said it has been his New York residence since June last year and that he’s simply been away campaigning.
The environmental lawyer and anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist claims that his voting address is on Croton Lake Road in Katonah north of New York City. But according to the New York Post, he doesn’t own the property, he doesn’t appear in resident searches, and several neighbours don’t believe he lives there. However, the address appears on the presidential nomination petition filed in New Hampshire.
Voting records reveal that Mr Kennedy voted in elections using that address in 2020 as well as in at least seven previous elections. Using the address, he voted by mail during the pandemic.
Legally, the owner of the property is Barbara Moss, the wife of Dr Timothy Haydock, a friend of Mr Kennedy.
The US Bank Trust Company initiated foreclosure proceedings in the state Supreme Court in March, stating that she owed $46,106 as well as interest, according to the New York Post. A settlement conference is set to take place on 7 June.
Ninth District Judicial District Judge Anne Minihan stated in a 26 April notice to Ms Moss that a “mortgage foreclosure case has been started against you for the property located at 84 Croton Lake Road, Katonah, NY 10536. Do not ignore this notice or any court papers that you receive. YOU MAY LOSE YOUR HOME”.
In a lengthy statement to the Post on Sunday night, the Kennedy campaign said the home was his “official address”.
“He receives mail there. His driver’s license is registered there. His automobile is registered there. His voting registration is from there. His hunting, fishing, falconry, and wildlife rehabilitation licenses are from there. He pays rent to the owner,” the campaign told the newspaper.
The campaign went on to note that Mr Kennedy pays taxes in New York and that his law office is in the state. They added that Mr Kennedy’s father, Attorney General Robert F Kennedy, subsequently served as a senator from New York, adding that the younger Mr Kennedy has lived in New York “continuously since 1968 although he has frequently lived elsewhere”.
“He has never claimed any other state as a residency,” the campaign said, adding that Mr Kennedy is set to move back to New York when his wife, actress Cheryl Hines, “retires from acting”.
Katonah is a village within Bedford, where the campaign said Mr Kennedy has lived for four decades.
“Since 2014, his official residence was on Twin Lakes Road in Bedford a few miles from his current residence. He typically stayed at that residence two times each month,” the campaign said, adding that the landlord for that residence grew concerned about being embroiled in controversy as he announced his presidential campaign, and asked that he find another home.
“Mr Kennedy’s best friend invited him to move into his Croton Lake Road residence, at which Mr Kennedy had been a frequent guest. Mr Kennedy transferred his residence in June 2023,” the campaign said. “Since embarking on his presidential campaign, Mr Kennedy has constantly been travelling in other states. During the 11 months since switching residences, he, therefore, has not had occasion to stay at his Croton Lake Road home, which explains why neighbours have not seen him.”
Mr Kennedy’s brother told the New York Post that he has lived at the house on and off for years.
The candidate himself told the Post: “Barbara and Tim are in litigation. They are appealing the foreclosure.”
