Forest Hills man charged with forgery for disseminating altered political endorsements and fake news reports in 2025 City Council run: DA

A perennial candidate for city and state offices from Forest Hills, known for a history of political dirty tricks in multiple failed campaigns, was taken into custody Wednesday, June 24, hours after losing his latest primary election the night before.

Jonathan Rinaldi, 47, was arrested by members of the Queens District Attorney’s Detective Bureau and arraigned on a criminal complaint charging him with forgery and criminal possession of a forged instrument for allegedly creating and distributing false political endorsements and fake news articles using artificial intelligence during his 2025 campaign for City Council in District 29. Rinaldi, who is known in the tabloids as “The Sperminator” after fathering 15 children through sperm donations, allegedly used AI technology to falsely depict support from public figures and organizations during that failed City Council campaign. .