Vote-Buying Scandal Rocks Hidalgo County

Two campaign workers have admitted to buying votes in the 2012 presidential election and local elections in Hidalgo County, Texas.

Veronica Saldivar, 42, of Donna, Texas, pleaded guilty to one count of vote-buying before U.S. District Judge Randy Crane of the Southern District of Texas. She is scheduled to be sentenced on December 8, 2014.

Belinda Solis, 39, also of Donna, pleaded guilty on September 25, 2014, to one count of vote-buying before U.S. District Judge Micaela Alvarez of the Southern District of Texas. She is scheduled to be sentenced on December 11, 2014.

According to Saldivar’s plea agreement, a primary election was held on May 29, 2012, in Donna for the presidential election and various state, county, and local offices, including the office of a county commissioner for Hidalgo County. Saldivar assisted in the campaign to elect a candidate to the office of county commissioner. In the course of that work, she paid voters with cash and cocaine for voting in this primary election and for voting for a specific candidate for a county commissioner position.

According to Solis’s plea agreement, a general election was held on November 6, 2012, in Donna, for the presidential election and various state, county, and local offices, including the Donna School Board. Solis assisted in the campaign to elect a slate of four candidates to the Donna School Board. In the course of that work, she paid voters cash for voting in the election and for voting for specific Donna School Board candidates.

The case was 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.

The guilty pleas bring to light the corrupt practices that tainted the 2012 elections in Hidalgo County. The case serves as a reminder of the importance of fair and honest elections, and the consequences that await those who seek to undermine them.

As the investigation continues, it is clear that the people of Hidalgo County will not tolerate such egregious acts of corruption. The guilty pleas of Saldivar and Solis are a testament to the commitment of law enforcement to uphold the integrity of the electoral process.