UPDATE: Former San Luis mayor guilty of ballot abuse sentenced to 30 days in jail
Guillermina Fuentes will begin serving her sentence Saturday at the Yuma County Jail
UPDATE (3 P.M.) - Guillermina Fuentes, a former mayor of San Luis, who pleaded guilty to one count of ballot abuse for collecting early ballots, was sentenced to 30 days in jail and two years probation in court Thursday afternoon. She will begin serving her sentence Saturday.
The other woman who pleaded guilty, Alma Juarez, was sentenced to one year probation.
Lizette Esparza, Guillermina Fuentes' daughter gave a statement about her mother:
"Good afternoon – my name is Lizette Esparza. Guillermina Fuentes is my mother. And what just
happened in that courtroom is a tragedy for my family and our community.
My mother has dedicated her life to serving her community, even winning the “Heart of Yuma”
award.
She’s never wanted to do anything other than raise her family and make this community a better
place. And for doing nothing more than help a few neighbors cast their ballots, the Attorney
General and Judge Nelson have sent her to jail. This case was never actually about collecting
ballots; it was a political prosecution that targeted San Luis and my mother. The San Luis
community knows that this was all politics, and about specific politicians who harassed and
chased my mother for years. They finally got what they wanted with an Attorney General who
joined that harassment to try and make himself look tough.
In our community, helping people vote is an important part of what we do for our neighbors. To
send my mom to jail for doing that is unfair and unjust. For us, this is a historic moment because
it proves that we can’t trust those in power, including our judicial system. The Attorney General
and the judge want this prosecution and sentence to cause a panic in our community. They want
to make us afraid to participate and vote, but we shouldn’t back down to bullies like them.
Instead, we should stand up to them and their unjust personal agendas, and our community
should be more motivated than ever to vote.
Our family has been on an emotional roller coaster for almost two years. It’s very difficult for us
to accept what happened today, and I hope it never happens to anyone else. Criminals go to jail,
not a strong woman and mother who is dedicated to her family and community. We’ll do our best
to get through this difficult time, but we’ll never forget this injustice. And neither should you."
Another statement from Anne Chapman, Guillermina Fuentes' lawyer has also stated this:
"The Court’s sentence today is an unjust result in a political prosecution where the only alleged
harm was the delivery of four lawfully voted ballots. It’s a very sad day for Ms. Fuentes, for the
citizens of Arizona, and for our Nation’s democracy.
As we’ve said before, Arizona’s ballot collection law is an extension of our State’s long history of
targeting its non-white citizens. The Legislature enacted this law to make it harder for non-white
Arizona citizens to exercise their fundamental right to cast a ballot and to participate in the
political process. It’s just one part of an ongoing, systematic attack on voting rights that we’re
seeing in Arizona and across the country. The only people protected by this law and this
prosecution are those who fear the full participation of Arizona citizens in the political process
and those who are afraid of the results when all voters can participate and all legally voted
ballots are counted.
Today, the State of Arizona sent a upstanding member of her community to jail for 30 days with
two years of probation to follow for the simple act of collecting and returning 4 ballots that were
counted. The Attorney General, Yuma County officials, and the Court should be ashamed for
using their public offices to further a political agenda that undermines our democracy."
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - After last weeks mitigation hearing, the two San Luis women guilty of ballot abuse will learn their sentence today in court two years after the crime was committed.
This after the sentencing date has been pushed back countless times.
Guillermina Fuentes and Alma Juarez each pleaded guilty to a charge of ballot abuse, acknowledging they collected early ballots for people who weren’t family members, didn’t live with them or weren’t receiving care from them.
Fuentes could be facing up to 3 years probation or up to two years behind bars.
While Juarez's conviction is a misdemeanor and under her plea agreement if she has cooperated as promised, she will be sentenced to probation.
