Frankie Garcia, Vote Buying, Texas 2014
Vote Buying Scandal Rocks Donna, Texas
A shocking case of vote buying has come to light in Donna, Texas, where a campaign manager is accused of paying voters for their votes in a school board election. According to an indictment, Frankie Garcia, 47, of Donna, paid voters either cocaine or cash in exchange for their votes during the November 2012 general election.
Garcia worked as a campaign manager for four candidates to the Donna School Board and allegedly worked with other campaign workers to pay voters and offer to pay voters in this election to vote for particular candidates. The indictment alleges that Garcia paid voters by giving them either cocaine or cash in exchange for their votes.
Frankie Garcia, a 47-year-old resident of Donna, Texas, has been charged with conspiring to buy votes, paying for votes, and aiding and abetting others to buy votes stemming from the vote-buying scheme. He was arrested on September 18, 2014, in Alton, Illinois, and will make his initial appearance in the Southern District of Illinois this afternoon.
The indictment was returned under seal on September 16, 2014, and unsealed today following his arrest. According to the indictment, during the November 2012 general election, Garcia worked as a campaign manager for four candidates to the Donna School Board. During that time, he allegedly bought votes and worked with other campaign workers to pay voters and to offer to pay voters in this election to vote for particular candidates.
The case is being investigated by the FBI, and is being prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Monique Abrishami and Jennifer Blackwell of the Criminal Division's Public Integrity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Leo J. Leo of the Southern District of Texas. Three campaign workers - Rebecca Gonzalez, 44, and Diana Balderas Castaneda, 48, both of Donna, Texas, and Guadalupe Escamilla, 72, of Weslaco, Texas - previously pleaded guilty to vote-buying charges stemming from this election.
It is worth noting that an indictment is merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law. The case serves as a reminder of the importance of fair and honest elections, and the severe consequences of attempting to manipulate the electoral process.
Key Facts
- State: Texas
- Category: Public Corruption
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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