Some might view Alberta J. Sherman as a political version of a meddling mother-in-law.

Ms. Sherman, whose son-in-law, Brian Militzer, was ousted from the Jefferson Hills council in the 2007 election, has triggered a criminal investigation by alleging that a campaign mailing targeting him and two other incumbents was illegal.

Ms. Sherman, 78, complained in a Nov. 28 letter to Allegheny County's Elections Division about a postcard supporting three challengers and calling for the defeat of the three incumbents, including Mr. Militzer.

Ten days ago, elections head Mark Wolosik referred the case to Allegheny County Police for a criminal investigation.

"The entire situation is being investigated," police Superintendent Charles Moffatt said this week.

There are two issues: Whether the postcard followed the law by identifying who paid for it, and if the nonprofit group that financed it, the Jefferson Hills Committee for Honest Government, was legally allowed to spring for the mailing.

In a March 17 letter to Superintendent Moffatt, Mr. Wolosik concluded that the postcard did not state who paid for it as the law dictates it must, but instead bore only a bulk mailing permit assigned to the Jefferson Hill Committee for Honest Government, which "does not satisfy this requirement."

Mr. Wolosik also noted that the nonprofit group is not a political action committee and its stated mission does not mention supporting candidates' election. State law forbids corporations not formed for political purposes to spend money in connection with electing people to office, according to Mr. Wolosik's letter.

In a written response, Ronald T. Conway, an attorney for the Jefferson Hills group, denied that any laws were broken. He did not return repeated calls for comment.

Ms. Sherman declined comment and did not divulge her relationship to Mr. Militzer, the former council president.

But Mr. Militzer confirmed it. He said he played no role in drafting Ms. Sherman's complaint and did not ask his mother-in-law to file it.

"She got all the nasty mailers and she wasn't too happy, knowing every council member they wrote about, so she wanted to do something about it," Mr. Militzer said. "She was upset about it. She said, 'What can I do?' I said, 'You can file a complaint.' "

About 2,000 of the postcards were printed in October 2007, mere days before the Nov. 7 election.

At the top of the card are the last names of election losers Mr. Militzer, Michael Kulish Jr. and Dennis Oskin, followed by "Six Great Reasons to Vote Them Out." The reasons stated include tax hikes and increases in sewer rates.

Reason No. 6 is "You have three well-qualified candidates to replace them," followed by the names of the three challengers who ended up winning election -- Tracey Khalil, M. Kathleen Reynolds and James Weber.

"I think it's sour grapes from a former councilman's mother-in-law," said Mr. Weber, who earned the second-most votes. "It seems like a sad attempt to sidetrack or derail what this council is trying to do."

George Taylor, 82, president of the honest government group, confirmed that he paid for the mailing.

Mr. Taylor said the candidates, whom he supported, designed the postcard and approved its release.

"Keep in mind that these there people were not veterans of political affairs. ... They thought the indicia on the card was enough to indicate that they were supported by our committee," Mr. Taylor said. "It was a mistake, it was an oversight."

However, two of the three candidates -- Mrs. Reynolds and Mr. Khalil -- said they did not create the card and did not lay eyes on it before they or their relatives received it in the mail.

"I will swear on my mother's grave I had nothing to do with that card," Mrs. Reynolds said.

Mr. Conway, the attorney for Jefferson Hills Committee for Honest Government, released documentation that he said corresponded to payments made by the nonprofit group for the postcards.

They include an Oct. 28 invoice for $63.13 from a printing company, Business Clickers, to Mr. Taylor's group for postcard printing and an Oct. 29 receipt for $141.54 from the post office in Clairton for a mailing funded by Mr. Taylor's group.