The City of Eagle Pass celebrated the 49 year anniversary of Earth Day on Friday, April 26, 2019, contributing to the environment by planting numerous trees at the new city park on Garrison
Edin burg May or, Wife Arrest ed in Orga nized Ille gal Vot ing Scheme
Friday, 26 April 2019 21:33 Published in April 2019
Attorney General Ken Paxton today announced that the Election Fraud Unit of his office arrested city of Edinburg Mayor Richard Molina and his wife, Dalia, for voter fraud. Molina is charged with orchestrating an organized illegal voting scheme in his own mayoral election. The Hidalgo County District Attorney’s Office will prosecute both cases with the assistance of the attorney general’s Election Fraud Unit. Molina and his wife had numerous voters change their addresses to places they didn’t live – including the apartment complex he owns – for the express purpose of voting for Molina in the November 7, 2017, Edinburg municipal election.
His vote harvesting scheme involved the participation of paid campaign workers, among others.
Molina won the election, unseating long-time Edinburg Mayor Richard Garcia by 1,240 votes. Over the last year, the Election Fraud Unit has led multiple, widespread and thorough investigations into allegations and complaints of voter fraud that were formally filed with the Texas Secretary of State and forwarded to the attorney general’s office. The Hidalgo County District Attorney’s Office has cooperated and assisted the Election Fraud Unit in its investigations. “Voter fraud is an affront to democracy and places the decision-making authority of the Texas electorate in the hands of those who have no right to make those choices,”
Attorney General Paxton said. “Voter apathy is caused by rigged elections with guaranteed outcomes.
My office will always do everything it can to protect the integrity of Texas elections and the rights of every legal voter to cast a ballot and have it counted accurately. No one is above the law.”
Attorney General Paxton expressed his appreciation for Hidalgo County District Attorney Ricardo Rodriguez’s commitment to election integrity on this case, as well as several other unrelated voter fraud cases that remain ongoing. “My office is appreciative of the many witnesses who have come forward and cooperated with the investigation,explaining how they were lured by an ambitious candidate into participating in an illegal voting scheme to elect Richard Molina,” District Attorney Rodriguez said. “We encourage any additional witnesses who were pressured to engage in fraudulent voting in Molina’s election to step forward and cooperate with authorities. We’re prepared to present a full array of charges against Molina and his co-conspirators to the grand jury for a thorough evaluation of the evidence to ensure justice is served.”
Since last year, a total of 18 individuals have been arrested in connection with the Edinburg organized illegal voting scheme, with assistance from the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Texas Rangers.
From 2005-2017, the attorney general’s office prosecuted 97 defendants for numbers voter fraud violations.
In fiscal year 2018, Attorney General Paxton’s Election Fraud Unit – with assistance from a criminal justice grant from the governor’s office – prosecuted 33 defendants for a total of 97 election fraud violations.
There are currently 75 active election fraud investigations, along with 63 counts of election crimes pending prosecution, in the attorney general’s Election Fraud Unit.
Alcalde de Edinburg y su Esposa Arrestados por Engaño de Votación Ilícito
Friday, 26 April 2019 21:28 Published in April 2019
AUSTIN – El Procurador General de Texas Ken Paxton anunciЧ hoy que la Unidad de Fraude de ElecciЧn de su oficina efectuЧ el arresto del alcalde de Edinburg Richard Molina y su esposa, Dalia, por fraude electoral. Molina enfrenta cargos por orquestar un engaЦo de votaciЧn ilegal organizado en su propia elecciЧn de alcalde. La Oficina del Fiscal del Condado de Hidalgo va a fiscalizar ambos casos con la ayuda de la Unidad de Fraude de ElecciЧn
del procurador general.
Molina y su esposa hicieron que numerosos votantes cambiaran sus direcciones a lugares en los que en realidad no vivТan, incluyendo un complejo de departamentos de su propiedad, con el propЧsito expreso de que votaran por Molina en la elecciЧn municipal de Edinburg del 7 de noviembre de 2017. Su engaЦo para recolectar votos incluyЧ la participaciЧn de trabajadores de campaЦa pagados, entre otros. Molina ganЧ la elecciЧn, derrotando por 1,240 votos a Richard Garcia quien llevaba largo tiempo como alcalde de Edinburg.
Durante el Ьltimo aЦo, la Unidad de Fraude de ElecciЧn ha llevado a cabo mЬltiples, investigaciones sobre denuncias y quejas de fraude electoral que fueron registradas formalmente con el Secretario de Estado de Texas y remitidas a la ProcuradurТa General. La Oficina del Fiscal del Condado Hidalgo ha cooperado y ayudado a la Unidad de Fraude en su investigaciones. “El fraude electoral es una afrenta a la democracia y quita la autoridad de los electores a decidir para ponerla en manos de aquellos que no tienen derecho a tomar esas decisiones,” dijo el Procurador Paxton. “La apatТa electoral es causada por las elecciones fraudulentas con resultados garantizados. Mi oficina siempre va a hacer todo lo que pueda para proteger la integridad de las elecciones en Texas y los derechos de todo votante legal a emitir su voto y que este sea contado con exactitud. Nadie estЗ por encima de la ley.”
El Procurador Paxton expresЧ su agradecimiento por el compromiso del fiscal del condado Hidalgo Ricardo Rodriguez a la integridad electoral en este caso, asТ como varios otros casos de fraude de votantes que no estЗn relacionados y que siguen en curso. “Mi oficina agradece a los muchos testigos que se han presentado y cooperado con la investigaciЧn, explicando cЧmo fueron engaЦados por un candidato ambicioso a participar en un engaЦo de votaciЧn ilegal para elegir a Richard Molina,” dijo el Fiscal Rodriguez. “Exhortamos a testigos adicionales que fueron presionados a participar en votaciЧn fraudulenta en la elecciЧn de Molina a que se presenten y cooperen con las
autoridades. Estamos preparados para presentar una selecciЧn completa de cargos contra Molina y sus otros conspiradores ante el gran jurado para una evaluaciЧn completa de la evidencia y garantizar que se haga justicia.” Desde el aЦo pasado, 18 personas han sido arrestadas con relaciЧn al engaЦo de votaciЧn ilegal organizado, con la ayuda del Departamento de Seguridad PЬblica y los Texas Rangers. De 2005 a 2017, la procuradurТa general ha fiscalizado 97 demandados por numerosas infracciones de fraude electoral. En el aЦo fiscal de 2018, la Unidad de Fraude de Elecciones del Procurador Paxton, con la ayuda de una subvenciЧn de justicia penal de
la oficina del gobernador, ha fiscalizado a 33 demandados, lo cual suman a 97 infracciones de fraude electoral.
Actualmente hay 75 investigaciones de fraude electoral activas, junto con 63 cargos de delitos electorales pendientes a ser fiscalizados, en la Unidad de Fraude de Elecciones del procurador general.