HOLLISTER
– An investigative report released by District Attorney John
Sarsfield on Wednesday recommends criminal charges of six felony
and six misdemeanor counts against supervisor-elect Jaime De La
Cruz for allegations that he violated an array of Elections Code
laws in the District 5 race he won in March
.
HOLLISTER – An investigative report released by District Attorney John Sarsfield on Wednesday recommends criminal charges of six felony and six misdemeanor counts against supervisor-elect Jaime De La Cruz for allegations that he violated an array of Elections Code laws in the District 5 race he won in March.
If indicted in a criminal grand jury proceedings planned for early June, De La Cruz would face a trial with penalties that could put him behind bars.
Sanctions on each of the felony counts range from up to $10,000 in fines or up to three years in prison.
The report also recommended five felony counts against De La Cruz’s campaign adviser, Ignacio Velazquez, for illegally returning absentees ballots to the Elections Office and allegedly coercing a voter.
The investigation by Santa Cruz District Attorney’s Office inspector Aaron Tripp turned up several witnesses corroborating complaints that the De La Cruz camp manipulated votes and illegally returned absentee ballots, according to the report.
Four voters claimed that De La Cruz came to their homes and retrieved their absentee ballots, according to the report. One woman told the inspector that De La Cruz and Velazquez drove her to a
poll-ing place and, on the way, coerced her to vote for De La Cruz. Another woman claims she saw De La Cruz
electioneering outside a polling place.
The laundry list of potential criminal charges were released more than a month after the Board of Supervisors commissioned the investigation.
The probe stemmed from complaints received by San Benito County District Attorney’s Office. It has coincided with a civil lawsuit filed by incumbent Bob Cruz’s wife, who is making many of the same allegations.
Sarsfield declined to comment on specifics of the investigation because it is ongoing. Tripp has some “loose ends” to tie up, and the grand jury proceedings are technically part of the investigation, he said.
Cruz held a 25-vote lead over De La Cruz after Election Day, which was March 2. But after the final 201 absentee ballots were counted March 8, De La Cruz overtook his opponent by 10 votes. Soon after, speculation arose about his campaign’s alleged actions.
De La Cruz declined to comment on most of the investigation’s findings.
And neither Cruz nor his lawyer Harry Damkar returned phone calls Wednesday.
