Texas woman who got prison for voter fraud out on appeal

Rosa Maria Ortega (AP)

FORT WORTH, Texas – A lawyer for a Mexican national sentenced to eight years in prison for voter fraud in Texas says she's been released as her appeal is pending.

Attorney Clark Birdsall said 37-year-old Rosa Maria Ortega was released Thursday after posting a more than $11,000 bond. Ortega was convicted in Fort Worth last month on two felony counts of illegal voting.

Ortega is accused of improperly casting a ballot five times between 2005 and 2014. Birdsall has said Ortega is a permanent resident and mistakenly thought her green card allowed her to vote.

Birdsall says a state district judge this week granted his request for an appeal bond.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement says Ortega's immigration detainer was canceled Thursday. The agency says it removes detainers during an appeal in some cases.