Guadalupe Escamilla, Vote-Buying, Texas 2012

Voter Bribery Rocks Donna, Texas School Board Election

A brazen case of voter bribery has shaken the Donna, Texas school board election, with a 72-year-old campaign worker pleading guilty to buying votes in the November 2012 general election.

Guadalupe Escamilla, of Weslaco, Texas, pleaded guilty to one count of vote-buying before Chief U.S. District Judge Ricardo Hinojosa in the Southern District of Texas, McAllen Division. Sentencing is scheduled for August 29, 2014.

According to a factual statement read during the plea hearing, Escamilla assisted in the campaign to elect candidates to the Donna School Board. In the course of that work, she knowingly and willfully paid and offered to pay voters for voting in this election. In addition, she indicated during the plea hearing that at least two candidates gave her money to pay to voters for voting in the election.

This is not the first time Escamilla has been involved in voter bribery. Two other campaign workers, Rebecca Gonzalez, 44, and Diana Balderas Castaneda, 48, of Donna, Texas, have pleaded guilty to the same charge. Gonzalez is scheduled to be sentenced on September 16, 2014, and Castaneda is scheduled to be sentenced on July 25, 2014.

The FBI investigated the case, which 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.

This case highlights the serious consequences of voter bribery and the importance of fair and honest elections. It serves as a reminder that those who attempt to manipulate the electoral process will be held accountable.

The August 29, 2014 sentencing hearing for Escamilla will mark the culmination of this investigation and prosecution. It remains to be seen what sentence will be handed down, but one thing is certain: Escamilla’s actions have cast a shadow over the Donna school board election and the integrity of the democratic process.

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