Democrat judge arrested for election fraud in Texas
Democrat Frio County Judge Rochelle Lozano Camacho was arrested for illegal vote harvesting on Friday after turning herself in to Texas authorities. "Vote harvesting, or ballot gathering, is when a voter completes an absentee ballot, places it in a sealed, signed envelope and has another person deliver the ballot to a polling location or election office," according to KSAT Investigates.
On Wednesday, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced the indictments of Judge Camacho and five of her accomplices in ballot harvesting, which is illegal in Texas. The charges are the result of an investigation that began in 2022, when Camacho’s opponent in the Democrat judicial primary, Mary Moore, filed a complaint alleging that Camacho hired Democrat operatives to fill out applications to vote by mail, collect ballots that were mailed, and drive voters to polling locations. One of the operatives reportedly hid the ballots under her shirt and changed vehicles to avoid detection by police while carrying out the scheme, which was targeting elderly voters in Pearsall, Texas.
Camacho’s five accomplices, who included her sister, city council members, a school district board member and even an elections administrator, were arrested on May 2nd. The judge was reportedly allowed to turn herself in on Friday due to medical issues.
“The people of Texas deserve fair and honest elections, not backroom deals and political insiders rigging the system. Elected officials who think they can cheat to stay in power will be held accountable. No one is above the law,” said Attorney General Paxton in a statement. “My office will continue to work with Frio County District Attorney Audrey Louis to protect the integrity of our elections.”
Judge Hannah Dugan
Camacho is the third Democrat judge to be arrested in recent weeks. On April 25th, federal agents arrested Milwaukee Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan on obstruction charges after she helped an illegal alien evade arrest by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Judge Joel Cano
A day earlier, federal agents arrested a Democrat New Mexico judge and his wife for harboring a member of the violent Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua at his home.
That case stemmed from an incident on February 28th, agents from Homeland Security Investigations executed a search warrant for the arrest of Cristhian Ortega-Lopez, a 23-year-old illegal alien with ties to Tren de Aragua. They found Ortega-Lopez at a home in Las Cruces owned by Judge Joel Cano, a magistrate for New Mexico’s Doña Ana County since 2011. Judge Cano shares ownership of the residence with his wife, Nancy.
According to the Albuquerque Journal, federal law enforcement agents also found four firearms at a neighboring home owned by Nancy’s daughter, April Cano. Court filings say Ortega-Lopez has admitted to possessing and firing the weapons.
Neither Judge Cano nor his wife commented on Ortega-Lopez’s arrest, but federal prosecutors allege the gang member was living at the Canos’ residence at their invitation. Nancy Cano reportedly met Ortega-Lopez while he was performing construction and handyman jobs and offered him residence on her property. One of the exhibits presented in court is a Facebook photo of Judge Cano and Ortega-Lopez posing together.
“Nobody should be surprised by the arrest of two judges,” Trump Border Czar Tom Homan posted on X after outrage from Democrats. “I have said many times within the past few months, that people can choose to support illegal immigration and not assist ICE in removing criminal illegal aliens from our communities, BUT DON’T CROSS THAT LINE. If you actively impede our enforcement efforts or if you knowingly harbor or conceal illegal aliens from ICE you will be prosecuted. These actions are felonies.”
