The fourth Suffolk political insider accused of forging signatures on nominating petitions submitted to the county's Board of Elections, some with names of dead people, appeared in court Wednesday to face multiple charges connected to the allegations.

Amos Goodman, 35, of East Hampton, the former chairman of the East Hampton Republican Party, was charged with 10 counts of second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument and 10 counts of first-degree offering a false instrument for filing.

Goodman pleaded not guilty to the charges at his arraignment in First District Court in Central Islip and was released on his own recognizance. He was ordered to return to court Feb. 6. His attorney Craig Fischer said Goodman will fight the charges but declined further comment after the arraignment. Goodman resigned from hispost as party chairman last week.

He is the fourth person charged this week by the office of Suffolk County District Attorney Timothy Sini in connection with petition fraud related to the November elections. Two Suffolk County Board of Elections employees, William Mann, 60, of Cutchogue, and Gregory Dickerson, 55, of Mattituck, as well as Independence Party chairwoman Patricia Mansir, 72, of East Hampton, pleaded not guilty at their arraignments Tuesday to multiple charges of submitting nominating petitions with bogus signatures.

Goodman and the other defendants, prosecutors said, wanted candidates they supported listed under more than one party line on the ballot to boost their chances in the Nov. 6 elections. Sini said his office began investigating petition fraud after receiving complaints from the Suffolk County Green Party, the East