Latest news with #FrioCounty
Yahoo
17-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Paxton to Launch Major Probe Into Non-Citizen Voters
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is investigating 33 potential noncitizen voters, The Dallas Express has learned. Thirty-three individuals are suspected of having voted in November's general election despite not being U.S. citizens. The case was referred to Paxton after the Secretary of State's Office flagged the registrations through federal data sources. Texas recently gained access to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services' SAVE database, which helps verify immigration status and naturalized or acquired U.S. citizenship. The system, operated under the Department of Homeland Security, is used by agencies across the country to validate immigration information. The development follows a March executive order signed by President Donald Trump that directed DHS to share database information with states. The order was designed to help ensure compliance with the National Voter Registration Act and the Help America Vote Act, which require accurate and current statewide voter lists. Separately, Paxton announced in May that multiple individuals were indicted in Frio County for alleged illegal vote harvesting. Those arrested included a county judge, a former elections administrator, Pearsall city council members, a Pearsall ISD trustee, and a suspected 'Frio County vote harvester.' The charges came after what officials described as a multi-year investigation into credible allegations of election misconduct. In October, Paxton investigated nonprofit groups allegedly registering voters outside Texas Department of Public Safety driver license offices — a practice that may have violated state law. Officials say the effort was uncovered through undercover operations in major metro areas. Gov. Greg Abbott announced that month officials had removed 1.1 million ineligible voters from the rolls since 2021, as The Dallas Express reported at the time. Paxton has repeatedly voiced concern about noncitizens casting ballots in U.S. elections, saying only American citizens should determine the outcome. He has pledged to continue investigating and prosecuting election violations.
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Officials in rural Texas are accused of paying campaign worker who told elderly people how to vote: docs
Six people, including multiple public officials, have been arrested and charged as part of a long-running investigation into an alleged 'vote harvesting' scheme in a rural Texas county against vulnerable seniors during 2022 and 2023 elections. 'The people of Texas deserve fair and honest elections, not backroom deals and political insiders rigging the system,' Texas Attorney General Paxton said in a statement Wednesday announcing the arrests. 'Elected officials who think they can cheat to stay in power will be held accountable. No one is above the law.' The accused include Frio County Judge Rochelle Camacho; former Frio County elections administrator Carlos Segura; Pearsall City Council members Ramiro Trevino and Racheal Garza; Pearsall school district trustee Adriann Ramirez; and campaign worker Rosa Rodriguez. Candidates for local office allegedly paid a campaign worker named Cheryl Denise Castillo to collect ballots from voters at senior citizens complexes, according to court documents obtained by The Washington Post. Castillo, who died last year, allegedly prepared ballots for individuals, influenced their voting choices, and assisted individuals who were ineligible for such support under state voting law. In one December 2023 instance, the campaign worker allegedly told a candidate for sheriff she wouldn't help voters who supported her clients' rivals. In another instance a few months later, Castillo allegedly told a fellow campaign worker 'that 'honest to God' if you do not go after the elderly disabled, then you will lose your election,' according to the documents. Investigators reportedly recovered a text message to Castillo during the time of the alleged scheme that read, 'So that means you have stolen ballots from the elderly in elections LMFAO HARD.' 'Several residents confirmed that Castillo picked up their ballots, and in some instances advised them how they should vote their ballot,' police wrote in a search warrant, adding that Castillo had been paid for her work. Segura, the former county elections administrator, called the allegations 'ridiculous' in an interview with the Post. The Independent has contacted Camacho and Ramirez for comment, and was unable to reach Rodriguez. In August 2024, investigators carried out search warrants related to the case in Frio, Atascosa, and Bexar counties, with a grand jury arriving at charges on May 1 of this year. The investigation dates back to 2022, when a county judge candidate running against Camacho filed a complaint. Mary Moore told investigators she got a tip that Camacho hired Castillo to collect mail ballots for her, and that upon inspecting the ballots, the campaign worker filled out several without notifying officials she assisted anyone. Moore later went to Pine Hill Estates II, a nursing home, and allegedly captured video of Camacho, Rodriguez, Ramirez, Castillo walking out of the home with 'what appeared to be carrier envelopes,' according to an affidavit obtained by KSAT. 'Several residents confirmed that Castillo picked up their ballot by mail, and in some instances advised them how they should vote their ballot,' per court records obtained by the outlet. Records obtained by Texas Scorecard reportedly show a convoluted web of payments for the alleged scheme, in which Rodriguez allegedly paid Camacho in May 2022 and May 2023 for vote-harvesting services. The funds then allegedly went to Ramirez, who made three Cash App payments in April 2023 to Castillo, according to the outlet. The six individuals, who face charges ranging from vote harvesting to tampering with evidence, could face up to 10 years in prison with fines up to $10,000. All suspects turned themselves in, and at least five have been released on bond. An arraignment is scheduled for May 23. The case comes as both state and national Republicans seek to crack down on alleged vulnerabilities in election security, a cause many Democrats dismiss as tackling a largely non-existent issue in an effort to disenfranchise certain voters. The indictment in the vote harvesting case in Texas comes just months after a September 2024 ruling from U.S. District Judge Xavier Rodriguez, who found that the state's SB1 voter security law was vague, overly broad, and violates freedom of speech and the 14th Amendment, Texas Public Radio reports. The decision also found there's little evidence of illegal 'vote harvesting.' The decision temporarily paused Paxton's investigation, but he appealed, allowing the probe to move forward.
The Independent
10-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Officials in rural Texas are accused of paying campaign worker who told elderly people how to vote: docs
Six people, including multiple public officials, have been arrested and charged as part of a long-running investigation into an alleged 'vote harvesting' scheme in a rural Texas county against vulnerable seniors during 2022 and 2023 elections. 'The people of Texas deserve fair and honest elections, not backroom deals and political insiders rigging the system,' Texas Attorney General Paxton said in a statement Wednesday announcing the arrests. 'Elected officials who think they can cheat to stay in power will be held accountable. No one is above the law.' The accused include Frio County Judge Rochelle Camacho; former Frio County elections administrator Carlos Segura; Pearsall City Council members Ramiro Trevino and Racheal Garza; Pearsall school district trustee Adriann Ramirez; and campaign worker Rosa Rodriguez. Candidates for local office allegedly paid a campaign worker named Cheryl Denise Castillo to collect ballots from voters at senior citizens complexes, according to court documents obtained by The Washington Post. Castillo, who died last year, allegedly prepared ballots for individuals, influenced their voting choices, and assisted individuals who were ineligible for such support under state voting law. In one December 2023 instance, the campaign worker allegedly told a candidate for sheriff she wouldn't help voters who supported her clients' rivals. In another instance a few months later, Castillo allegedly told a fellow campaign worker 'that 'honest to God' if you do not go after the elderly disabled, then you will lose your election,' according to the documents. Investigators reportedly recovered a text message to Castillo during the time of the alleged scheme that read, 'So that means you have stolen ballots from the elderly in elections LMFAO HARD.' 'Several residents confirmed that Castillo picked up their ballots, and in some instances advised them how they should vote their ballot,' police wrote in a search warrant, adding that Castillo had been paid for her work. Segura, the former county elections administrator, called the allegations 'ridiculous' in an interview with the Post. The Independent has contacted Camacho and Ramirez for comment, and was unable to reach Rodriguez. In August 2024, investigators carried out search warrants related to the case in Frio, Atascosa, and Bexar counties, with a grand jury arriving at charges on May 1 of this year. The investigation dates back to 2022, when a county judge candidate running against Camacho filed a complaint. Mary Moore told investigators she got a tip that Camacho hired Castillo to collect mail ballots for her, and that upon inspecting the ballots, the campaign worker filled out several without notifying officials she assisted anyone. Moore later went to Pine Hill Estates II, a nursing home, and allegedly captured video of Camacho, Rodriguez, Ramirez, Castillo walking out of the home with 'what appeared to be carrier envelopes,' according to an affidavit obtained by KSAT. 'Several residents confirmed that Castillo picked up their ballot by mail, and in some instances advised them how they should vote their ballot,' per court records obtained by the outlet. Records obtained by Texas Scorecard reportedly show a convoluted web of payments for the alleged scheme, in which Rodriguez allegedly paid Camacho in May 2022 and May 2023 for vote-harvesting services. The funds then allegedly went to Ramirez, who made three Cash App payments in April 2023 to Castillo, according to the outlet. The six individuals, who face charges ranging from vote harvesting to tampering with evidence, could face up to 10 years in prison with fines up to $10,000. All suspects turned themselves in, and at least five have been released on bond. An arraignment is scheduled for May 23. The case comes as both state and national Republicans seek to crack down on alleged vulnerabilities in election security, a cause many Democrats dismiss as tackling a largely non-existent in an effort to disenfranchise certain voters. The indictment in the vote harvesting case in Texas comes just months after a September 2024 ruling from U.S. District Judge Xavier Rodriguez, who found that the state's SB1 voter security law was vague, overly broad, and violates freedom of speech and the 14th Amendment, Texas Public Radio reports. The decision also found there's little evidence of illegal 'vote harvesting.' The decision temporarily paused Paxton's investigation, but he appealed, allowing the probe to move forward.
Washington Post
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Texas court documents allege payments in ‘vote harvesting' probe
Officials in a rural Texas county who were charged with 'vote harvesting' this week were accused of paying a campaign worker who told elderly residents how to vote while assisting them with their ballots in 2022 and 2023, according to court documents released this week. The indictments and applications for search warrants in Frio County, located near San Antonio, were released a day after Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) announced the charges against six people related to what he described as a 'vote harvesting' operation.
Washington Post
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
6 people are charged in a Texas elections investigation involving 'vote harvesting'
AUSTIN, Texas — Six people in a rural Texas county, including two City Council members and a school board trustee, have been indicted in a widening elections investigation led by Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton, bringing felony charges to a case that Latino rights activists have criticized as politically driven. The top executive in Frio County, home to about 18,000 residents, a county elections worker and a local resident were also among those indicted on May 1, Paxton said Wednesday. The charges expand an investigation that included raids last year on the homes of Latino campaign volunteers near San Antonio, including an 87-year-old woman, although none of them have been indicted.
