Mexican woman charged with voter fraud, accused of illegally voting in 2016 election

Laura Janeth Garza, a 37-year-old Mexican national, was indicted May 10 on charges of voter impersonation and ineligible voting. (Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office)

A Mexican woman has been charged in Texas with voter fraud after prosecutors said she illegally voted in the 2016 presidential election.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said his office will prosecute Laura Janeth Garza, a 37-year-old Mexican national who lives in Houston, after a grand jury indicted her May 10 on charges of voter impersonation and ineligible voting.

Both charges are second-degree felonies. If convicted, Garza faces two to 20 years in prison and a $10,000 fine, according to Fox 4 News in Dallas-Ft. Worth.

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

According to the attorney general’s office, Garza is accused of voting illegally in Harris County in November 2016, as well as in elections in 2004 and 2012.

Paxton said a joint investigation with the Texas Department of Public Safety determined that Garza obtained documents to steal the identity of a U.S. citizen and illegally register to vote.

Law enforcement became aware of Garza after a U.S. citizen attempted to obtain a passport, but discovered Garza had already done so using her identity, Paxton said. The State Department referred Garza’s case to Texas Department of Public Safety, which then handed it over to Paxton’s office for prosecution.

President Trump has long claimed widespread voting fraud took place in the 2016 election, an assertion that has not been substantiated.

"It's not a conspiracy theory, folks," Trump said at an event in West Virginia last month, claiming millions voted illegally in 2016.