An arrest? A thing? Keith Hernandez? Just another day in Julia Salazar's campaign

ALBANY – It was finally an arrest for nothing.

In the latest episode in the story of Julia Salazar, a born Democratic Socialist, immigration candidate and New York State Senate candidate in Brooklyn, news was leaked on Thursday about her arrest involving an ex-wife . from the old New York base Mets player Keith Hernandez.

Load? Attempt to steal identity

The legal skirmish between the two women also included a claim that 27-year-old Ms. Salazar had an affair with Mr. Hernandez, a claim that denied but nevertheless propelled the already peculiar political history into the media. being chased Thursday in a street outside City Hall by reporters who bark questions and a television crew.

[Examendel'histoiredeJuliaSalazar[ScrutinyofJuliaSalazar'shistory[Examendel'histoiredeJuliaSalazar[ScrutinyofJuliaSalazar’shistoryrevealed inconsistencies that threaten to undermine his candidacy.]

The most recent revelation, first published by DailyMail.com, about Ms. Salazar dates back to 2010, when Kai Hernandez, then wife of Mr. Hernandez, filed a police report alleging that Ms. Salazar, then 19 years had tried "to access my bank accounts by fraudulently pretending to be myself" during a phone call to Mrs. Hernandez's bank.

At the time, Ms. Hernandez also accused Ms. Salazar of a series of other crimes, including stealing more than $ 10,000 in cash, nearly $ 1,000 in wine, and $ 1,175 in gift cards. Pottery Barn. Ms. Salazar had been a neighbor of Ms. Hernandez in Tequesta, Florida, and had been repeatedly seated at her home, according to court documents.

The couple divorced in February 2011. The following month, Ms. Salazar was arrested for criminal use of personal information, according to police reports.

The charges, however, were dismissed and Ms. Salazar filed a lawsuit in 2013 against Ms. Hernandez, alleging that her "false accusations" and "character assassination" led to "being handcuffed, fingerprints shot. An amended complaint, filed by Ms. Salazar's lawyer, contained the suggestion of the case, used as an example of Ms. Hernandez's dishonesty and malfeasance towards her client. The complaint also noted that Ms. Salazar had known Mr. Hernandez since childhood.

"Julia considered Keith as a father figure," the complaint says.

After a four-year legal battle, the case was resolved in favor of Ms. Salazar last March with a payment of $ 20,000, according to her lawyer, Adam Hecht.

"Kai Hernandez's bizarre and fraudulent attempts to defame and victimize Julia were unfounded by the authorities, who refused to file a complaint, and this case was resolved," Hecht said in a statement. "Keith, Kai and Julia agree that there was no business. We do not have any other comments about it.

The revelations only added to the legend of Mrs. Salazar, whose insurgency campaign was turned upside down by a series of articles describing discrepancies in her personal biography. Her inconsistencies include her campaign claim that she was an immigrant from Colombia, even though she was born and raised in the United States and was a Columbia graduate. (She conceded in an interview with the New York Times that even though she had completed her classes, she had not graduated and did not intend to do so.)

Among the other curiosities of her biography are her membership in the politics of the left (she is a member of the Socialist Democrats of America) after being president of a conservative group entitled to life in college. Raised in a Catholic home, Ms. Salazar was also president of the Columbia Chapter of Christians United for Israel, before renouncing the group and converting to Judaism.

The involvement of Mr. Hernandez, now broadcaster of the TV channel Mets on SNY, also provoked a series of jokes about "Seinfeld", the famous show about nothing, on which the baseball player made several appearances. A spokeswoman for the network has not added any comment beyond the denial of any case.

Salazar challenges state senator Martin M. Dilan to represent a district in northern Brooklyn. On Thursday, a week before the September 13 primary, Ms. Salazar was at City Hall for a photo shoot when she was engaged to a group of journalists.

Asked why she started the case, Ms. Salazar was succinct.

"Because false accusations have been brought against me," she said.