Former Edinburg mayor acquitted of illegal voting years after high-profile arrest by state’s election fraud unit

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A Hidalgo County jury on Thursday acquitted former Edinburg Mayor Richard Molina of a number of voter fraud fees stemming from the 2017 election that introduced him to energy, in accordance with native experiences.

Native information shops reported Molina was acquitted of 12 counts, together with one depend of partaking in organized voter fraud and 11 counts of unlawful voting. His high-profile arrest by the state’s election fraud unit in 2019 was introduced by Texas Legal professional Common Ken Paxton as a part of what Paxton described as “an organized unlawful voting scheme” within the November 2017 municipal election.

The case was prosecuted by the Hidalgo County District Legal professional’s Workplace, which didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.

Based on a 2019 information launch from the legal professional common’s workplace, Molina was accused of directing voters to vary their addresses to locations the place they didn’t reside — together with an residence advanced owned by Molina — so they may vote for him. Molina gained the election by 1,240 votes, unseating then-incumbent Mayor Richard Garcia within the South Texas city.

By the point Molina was detained, 18 others had been arrested in reference to the scheme, in accordance with the legal professional common’s workplace, which didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark Thursday. A few of these instances are nonetheless ongoing.

The Monitor newspaper in McAllen reported that prosecutors described the case as one “about mendacity and dishonest.” Among the many state’s witnesses had been three voters who testified that Molina requested them to vary addresses on their voter registrations.

Molina has lengthy maintained his innocence, labeling the investigation as politically motivated. In the course of the trial, Molina’s attorneys stated he had not meant to violate election legal guidelines. They introduced a “mistake of regulation protection,” arguing the previous mayor relied on “cheap authorities” when he instructed voters they may change the tackle to take part in Edinburg elections, in accordance with experiences by The Monitor.

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