Former Port Lavaca Councilwoman Briseno to Serve Five Years In Prison for Voter Fraud[TX]

EDNA – A former Port Lavaca city councilwoman today was sentenced to five years in prison for committing voter fraud during the March 2006 primary election. A Jackson County jury found Debra M. Briseno, 51, guilty Friday of registering noncitizens to vote. Briseno, who ran unsuccessfully as a candidate for county justice of the peace in that election, also facilitated noncitizen voting by tampering with government documents. The offense of illegal voting is a third-degree felony.

Briseno accepted the five-year prison term as part of a sentencing agreement with the prosecutors from the Office of the Attorney General, the Calhoun County District Attorney and the Jackson County District Attorney.

"Texans will not tolerate illegal schemes that undermine the integrity of the electoral process," said Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott. "Voters can rest assured the Office of the Attorney General will protect the ballot box by aggressively enforcing election laws. We are grateful to Calhoun County District Attorney Dan Heard and Jackson County District Attorney Bobby Bell for their hard work in this case and their commitment to fair elections."

Under the sentencing agreement, Briseno admitted that she and her husband, Richard Morales, lied to the jury during their testimony last week. Both falsely testified that their voter registrants were informed that only United States citizens can legally vote. Admitting to aggravated perjury, Briseno acknowledged that she did not ask registrants about their citizenship, nor did she inform them that only United States citizens are eligible to vote. As a result, Briseno registered noncitizens to vote in Calhoun County, and thereafter lied about her efforts at trial.

In open court Briseno admitted to one count of tampering with a government record, a state jail felony. In this instance, she visited local residents who were noncitizens and assisted them with their voter registration. She informed them that they needed only a valid driver's license to become registered to vote. Under Texas law, noncitizens can obtain a driver's license but are not eligible to vote. Briseno then filled out the portion of the registration application inquiring about citizenship and falsely claimed that the individuals were citizens.

Both Briseno's confessions to lying to the jury and tampering with a government record were taken into consideration by Jackson County District Judge Joseph P. Kelly when he accepted the sentencing agreement.

Last month, Briseno's trial was moved from Calhoun County to Jackson County after her counsel filed a motion to change venue. She was transferred from Jackson County to the Calhoun County Jail this morning.

EDNA – A Jackson County jury today returned a guilty verdict against former Port Lavaca councilwoman Debra Martinez Briseno, 51. The jury found her guilty on two counts of illegal voting during the March 2006 Democratic primary, a third-degree felony. The punishment phase of the trial begins Monday. A third-degree felony carries a range of punishment of from two to 10 years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine.

“Texans will never tolerate the contamination of our elections, and public officials who engage in voter fraud will certainly be held accountable, as today’s verdict shows,” said Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott. “I am grateful for the assistance of Calhoun County District Attorney Dan Heard, as well as Jackson County District Attorney Bobby Bell in prosecuting this case.”

The Calhoun County District Attorney’s office received a complaint about Briseno’s activities then sought assistance from Attorney General Abbott. The resulting investigation with Calhoun County District Attorney Heard showed that Briseno, who was running for the office of county justice of the peace at the time, made it possible for noncitizens to falsely register to vote and then actually cast ballots in person during the primary, based on her advice.

Last month, Briseno’s trial was moved from Calhoun County to Jackson County on a change of venue motion.

Briseno was also indicted last August on charges of tampering with a government record, a state jail felony, which will be prosecuted separately. On those occasions, she visited local residents who were noncitizens and assisted them with voter registration. She represented to them that they needed only a valid driver’s license to become registered to vote as a U.S. citizen. She filled out the portion of the registration application inquiring of citizenship and affirmatively marked that these individuals were United States citizens.

Today’s verdict exemplifies yet another effort by Attorney General Abbott to crack down on voter fraud in Texas. Earlier this month, five Starr and Hidalgo County residents were indicted in Brooks County on various charges of voter fraud for their conduct during the 2006 election cycle. A grand jury returned felony indictments against the five defendants in an investigation that began with a complaint filed by Starr County Elections Administrator. That case is ongoing.

http://www.oag.state.tx.us/oagnews/release.php?id=2070

Briseno allegedly visited permanent residents who were non-citizens during the Democratic Party Primary in 2006 and helped them register to vote, indicating that they only needed a driver’s license to become registered to vote.

http://209.85.165.104/search?q=cache:-SvwFBkJD34J:www.portlavacawave.com/articles/2007/06/22/news/news02.txt+Debra+Briseno+democrat&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=4&gl=us

Indeed a “dem” - just a slight oversight on the part of the lame-stream media

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