Edinburg Mayor Richard Molina was arraigned earlier today on felony charges of engaging in organized election fraud and illegal voting.
His wife, Dalia Molina, was arraigned on a charge of illegal voting.
Hidalgo County Pct. 2, Place 2 Justice of the Peace Jaime “Jerry” Muñoz set bond for Richard Molina at $20,000, $10,000 for first degree felony of engaging in organized election fraud and $5,000 for each of the two illegal voting charges.
Muñoz set bond for Dalia Molina at $5,000.
Molina and his wife were transported in separate vehicles by the Texas Department of Public Safety troopers to the Hidalgo County Sherriff’s Office for booking.
In a news release issued earlier today, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said Molina and his wife had numerous voters change their addresses to places they didn’t live, including the apartment complex he owns, for the purpose of voting for Molina in the Nov. 7, 2017, Edinburg municipal election.
His vote harvesting scheme involved the participation of paid campaign workers, among others, according to the news release. Molina won the election, unseating longtime Edinburg Mayor Richard Garcia by 1,240 votes.
Since last year, 18 individuals have been arrested in connection with the Edinburg organized illegal voting scheme, with assistance from the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Texas Rangers, according to the news release.
“Voter fraud is an affront to democracy and places the decision-making authority of the Texas electorate in the hands of those who have no right to make those choices,” Paxton said in the news release. “Voter apathy is caused by rigged elections with guaranteed outcomes. My office will always do everything it can to protect the integrity of Texas elections and the rights of every legal voter to cast a ballot and have it counted accurately. No one is above the law.”
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