Mexican National Indicted For Illegal Voting In Montgomery County

CONROE, TX — A 38-year old Mexican national from Harris County was indicted by a Montgomery County grand jury on two counts of illegal voting.

Laura Janeth Garza, who is from Mexico, was arrested on May 11 on charges that she attempted to steal the identity of a U.S. citizen so she could register to vote.

Garza is in the Montgomery County Jail with her bail amount set at $75,000 for voter impersonation and $75,000 for ineligible voting.

Both are second-degree felonies, and Garza faces two to 20 years in prison and a $10,000 fine if she is convicted.

A joint investigation by Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office and the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) determined that Garza obtained documents to steal the identity of a U.S. citizen and illegally register to vote in Harris County.

She cast ballots in 2004, 2012 and 2016.

“This case demonstrates my office’s commitment to protecting the integrity of elections,” Paxton said. “We will continue to do everything in our power to safeguard the electoral process in Texas.”

Investigators learned about Garza when a woman who was trying to obtain a U.S. Passport, discovered that someone had already done so using her identity.

As a result, the U.S. State Department referred Garza’s case to the Criminal Investigations Division of DPS, which ultimately handed it over to the Office of the Attorney General for an election fraud investigation.

Image: MCSO

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