Woman accused of forging petitions for DuPage college board seat

A 61-year-old woman was charged Wednesday with submitting forged documents in an effort to obtain a seat on the College of DuPage Board of Trustees.

Rafath Waheed, of west suburban Lisle, made photocopies of signatures on completed application forms and later notarized the forged petitions as authentic, according to the DuPage County state’s attorney’s office.

The scheme was uncovered during a hearing that dealt with an objection filed against her petitions, prosecutors said.

Waheed is charged with two counts of forgery, two counts of issuing a forged document, and four counts of perjury, all felonies, according to prosecutors. She was released Thursday after posting $1,000 bail. Her next court appearance is scheduled for April 12.

Waheed withdrew from the race during a Jan. 10 hearing with the College of DuPage Board of Trustees where she admitted photocopying petitions that were included in her candidacy filing.

Three seats are up for grabs in the upcoming College of DuPage Board of Trustees election, which is scheduled for April 4. No incumbents are seeking reelection.