Yuma County – Attorney General Mark Brunovich announced that former San Luis Mayor Guillermina Fuentes was sentenced to two years’ probation on Thursday, October 13, 2022 and sentenced to 30 days in prison. She was imprisoned in the Yuma County Jail for her role in the August 2020 primary “ballot collection” scheme, which involved collecting early ballots from other voters and placing them in the ballot box on primary day. rice field. Fuentes pleaded guilty on June 2, 2022, to a felony ballot abuse charge that violates Arizona law.

Yuma County Superior Court Judge Roger A. Nelson ordered Fuentes to surrender at the Yuma County Jail on October 15, 2022 at 6 p.m. . he is on furlough.

In December 2020, Fuentes and Alma Yadira Juárez, also from San Luis, both were indicted 1 count each Ballot fraudalso known as “collecting ballots”.

In a separate legal proceeding Thursday, Judge Nelson sentenced Juarez to 12 months on probation for ballot abuse charges. Juarez had pleaded guilty on January 20, 2022.

Arizona law stipulates that only family members, household members, or caregivers of voters may collect voted or unvoted early ballots from others. Under Arizona law, collecting ballots is a class 6 felony.

The investigation was conducted by the Arizona Attorney General’s Office Special Investigations Division, Election Integrity Division, and the Yuma County Sheriff’s Office.

Assistant Attorney General Todd Lawson prosecuted the case.

A copy of Fuentes’ plea bargain is available here.

A copy of Juarez’s plea bargain is available here.