Election Fraud Cases

Alma Yadira Juarez and Guillermina Fuentes

Alma Yadira Juarez was charged with one count of ballot abuse for ballot trafficking during the 2020 primary election. Juarez was alleged to have collected ballots filled out by Guillermina Fuentes and did not have permission to hold the ballots. She pleaded guilty to one count of ballot abuse. She will be sentenced at the end of June.

Source: https://herit.ag/3bltTZU , https://herit.ag/3OMdjRC

Marcia Johnson

Marcia Johnson, 70, of Lake Havasu City pleaded guilty to the Class D felony of Voting More Than Once in the November 2018 general election. Johnson cast her own mail-in ballot as well as one sent to her deceased father whose name remained on the voter rolls after his death in 2012. She was sentenced to one year of probation, charged a special assessment of $100, and fined $1,000.

Source: https://herit.ag/3IQEE1n, https://herit.ag/3iPCODu , https://herit.ag/3JW6n21, https://herit.ag/3tVwII2

Krista Michelle Connor

Krista Michelle Connor, 55, pleaded guilty to one felony count of Attempted Illegal Voting. Connor had signed and cast an early mail-in ballot in the name of her mother, Jeanne Sullivan, who died a month prior to the 2020 general election. She was sentenced to 100 hours of community service and fined $890.

Source: https://herit.ag/3sc3IKT, https://herit.ag/3QQGTqG, https://herit.ag/3sbfo0m

Tracey Kay McKee

Tracey Kay McKee, of Scottsdale, was indicted by a grand jury on one count of illegal voting and one count of perjury. McKee, a registered Republican, cast a ballot in the name of her deceased mother in the 2020 general election. She pleaded guilty to one count of illegal voting, a felony, was sentenced to two years of probation, and ordered to perform 100 hours of community service, and ordered to pay $2,144 in fines and fees.

Source: https://herit.ag/3HUHrXH, https://herit.ag/3GVHMZ4 , https://herit.ag/3sb2oYw

Guillermina Fuentes and Alma Yadira Juarez

Guillermina Fuentes was charged with one count of ballot abuse for ballot trafficking during the 2020 primary election. Fuentes was the former mayor of San Luis, is a well-known political figure in her community, and works as a political consultant. Using that influence, Fuentes persuaded voters to allow her to collect their ballots and, in some instances, fill out ballots on behalf of the voters. Fuentes admitted that she "knowingly collect[ed] ballots from another person, and those early ballots belonged to individuals for whom I am not a family member, household member, or caregiver." She pleaded guilty to one count of ballot abuse. She will be sentenced at the end of June.

Source: https://herit.ag/3blsnHe, https://herit.ag/3Ot2nIP, https://herit.ag/3OJy1RV

Trenae Ryesha Rainey

Trenae Myesha Rainey, 28, pleaded guilty to three misdemeanor counts of making a false statement on an absentee ballot application. During the 2020 general election, Rainey, an employee at an assisted living facility, completed roughly two dozen absentee voter applications, forging individual signatures of residents. She then handed over the ballots to another employee, whom she instructed to send the absentee ballot requests to the county election clerk. Rainey was sentenced to two years' probation, in which the first 45 days would be spent in the county jail.

Source: https://herit.ag/3K0oJzc, https://herit.ag/3DptHCW

Carless Clark

Carless Clark, 59, pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of forging a signature on another individual's absentee ballot. In the 2020 general election, Clark signed and returned her grandson's absentee ballot, citing her concern that he would not have enough time to vote in-person on Election Day, which the grandson did. Clark was sentenced to twelve months' probation and nineteen days of community service.

Source: https://herit.ag/3uFWbEt, https://herit.ag/3iRCVi4

Edward Amirault

Edward Amirault, 79, pleaded guilty to the Class B felony of "Voting in More than One State Prohibited." Amirault had voted in the 2018 general election in New Hampshire by absentee ballot and then cast another ballot in the same election in-person in Massachusetts. He was sentenced to 180 days in jail, all of which were suspended on the condition of two years of good behavior. Amirault was also ordered to pay a fine of $4,000 and a penalty assessment of $960 and was ordered to serve 100 hours of community service.

Source: https://herit.ag/3scKvZw , https://herit.ag/3s7Pnz9

Kimberly McPherson

Kimberly McPherson, a city of Troy council member and Republican, pleaded guilty to one count of identity theft for casting absentee ballots in the names of two other people in the 2021 city council election. In seeking re-election, McPherson cast at least one absentee ballot on behalf of another during the primary election, and during the general election cast absentee ballots for at least two people other than herself. As part of her plea agreement, McPherson has agreed to resign her position on the city council. She faces up to 5 years in prison and fines of up to $250,000 when she is sentenced.

Source: https://herit.ag/3OObF1U , https://herit.ag/3QRV7HP

Monica Mendez

Monica Mendez was charged with 26 felonies after her involvement in an absentee ballot trafficking scheme to alter the results of the May 2018 Bloomington water board election. Mendez served as a volunteer deputy registrar and was responsible for registering new voters in her official role. During this election, 275 people in Bloomington registered to vote all using the same post office box as a mailing address. However, the address was associated with a subsidized housing company who was attempting the sway the outcome of the election. According to the press release by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton "Mendez ran a vote-harvesting operation on behalf of a subsidized housing corporation in order to influence the outcome of a utility board election." Mendez Mendez pleaded guilty to 26 felony counts including three counts of illegal voting, eight counts of election fraud, seven counts of unlawful assistance to a voter to submit a ballot by mail, and eight counts of unlawful possession of a mail ballot. She was sentenced to five years of deferred adjudication probation, 80 hours of community service, and fined $1,415.

Source: https://herit.ag/3OMoYQ8 , https://herit.ag/3bxUROc, https://herit.ag/3OHfLsv

Marlena Jackson

Marlena Jackson, wife of Gregg County Commissioner Shannon Brown, pleaded guilty to charges of misdemeanor election fraud. During the 2018 Democratic primary Longview City council election, Jackson's husband Shannon Brown organized a scheme to harvest absentee ballots with help from two paid campaign workers and Jackson to increase the ballots in Brown's favor. Jackson working with Brown and his crew, solicited over a hundred mail-in ballots by assisting with absentee ballot applications, misleading voters about the requirements for voting by mail, and in some cases filling out the applications and falsely claiming that such voters were disabled, often without their knowledge or consent. Marlena was originally charged with close to 100 different felony charges including providing false information on a voting application, election fraud, and tampering with a government record with the intent to defraud or harm. Jackson was sentenced to a year's probation and a $2,445 fine.

Source: https://herit.ag/33qzzOJ, https://herit.ag/3oSoH3O , https://herit.ag/3rRxrc7, https://herit.ag/3GVHG3E

Charlie Burns Jr.

Charlie Burns Jr., campaign worker for Gregg County Commissioner Shannon Brown, pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of knowingly possessing an absentee ballot with intent to defraud for his involvement in a ballot harvesting scheme. During the 2018 Democratic primary Longview City council election, Shannon Brown participated in a scheme to harvest absentee ballots with help from his wife Marlena Jackson, Burns, and DeWayne Ward, another paid campaign worker, to increase the vote total for Brown. Burns working with Brown, Jackson, and another campaign worker, solicited over a hundred mail-in ballots by assisting with absentee ballot applications, providing incorrect information to voters about the requirements for voting by mail, and in some cases filing out the ballots and falsely claiming that such voters were disabled, often without their knowledge or consent. Burns was sentenced to one year in jail, which was suspended to a year's probation, and fined $445.

Source: https://herit.ag/3gSxiyS , https://herit.ag/3oSxz9F, https://herit.ag/3rUront, https://herit.ag/3GNZihK

DeWayne Ward

DeWayne Ward, campaign worker for Gregg County Commissioner Shannon Brown, pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of knowingly possessing an absentee ballot with intent to defraud for his involvement in a ballot harvesting scheme during the 2018 Longview City Council Democratic primary election. During that election, Shannon Brown organized a scheme to harvest absentee ballots with help from his wife, Marlena Jackson, Ward, and Charlie Burns Jr. another paid campaign worker, to increase the vote tally in Brown's favor. Ward, working with Brown, Jackson, and another campaign worker, solicited over a hundred mail-in ballots by assisting with absentee ballot applications, misleading voters about the requirements for voting by mail, and in some cases filling out the applications and falsely claiming that such voters were disabled, often without their knowledge or consent. Ward was sentenced to one year in jail, which was suspended to a year's probation, and fined $445.

Source: https://herit.ag/3HXp7gz, https://herit.ag/3LBeQZV , https://herit.ag/3sMrGf3, https://herit.ag/3uSSbSK

Paul Parana

Paul Parana of Canton was charged with impersonating a voter after he forged his daughter's signature on an absentee ballot in 2020 General Election. He pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor election law violation, was sentenced to 90 days’ probation, and ordered to pay $1,100 in fines and court costs.

Source: https://herit.ag/3eXnao7, https://herit.ag/3rGpyF0, https://herit.ag/378DNIU

Donald "Kirk" Hartle

Donald Hartle was charged with two felonies for voting twice in the 2020 general election, once under his own name and a second time via absentee ballot using his deceased wife's name. Hartle pleaded guilty to one count of “voting more than once at same election,” a Class D felony. Under the terms of his plea agreement, Hartle was sentenced to one year of probation and fined $2,000.  If he successfully completes probation, Hartle will be permitted to withdraw his guilty plea to the felony offense and enter a guilty plea to “conspiracy to commit voting more than once at same election,” a gross misdemeanor.

Source: bit.ly/3sDDaDq , bit.ly/32up0tA , bit.ly/3116CaS