AG Paxton Announces Joint Prosecution of Gregg
County
Organized Election Fraud in Mail-In Balloting Scheme
AUSTIN – Attorney General Ken Paxton today announced that
authorities arrested Gregg County Commissioner Shannon Brown, Marlena
Jackson, Charlie Burns, and DeWayne Ward on charges in connection with an
organized vote harvesting scheme during the 2018 Democratic primary election.
To increase the pool of ballots needed to swing the
race in Brown’s favor, the group targeted young,
able-bodied voters to cast ballots by mail by fraudulently claiming
the voters were “disabled,” in most cases without the voters’ knowledge or
consent. Under Texas election law, mail ballots based on disability
are specifically reserved for those who are physically ill and cannot vote
in-person as a result.
In total, the state filed 134 felony charges against the
four defendants, including engaging in organized election fraud, illegal
voting, fraudulent use of an application for a mail-in ballot, unlawful
possession of a mail-in ballot, tampering with a governmental record, and
election fraud. Penalties for these offenses range from six months in state
jail to 99 years in prison.
“It is an unfortunate reality that elections can be stolen
outright by mail ballot fraud. Election fraud, particularly an organized mail
ballot fraud scheme orchestrated by political operatives, is an affront to
democracy and results in voter disenfranchisement and corruption at the highest
level,” said Attorney General Paxton. “Mail ballots are vulnerable to
diversion, coercion, and influence by organized vote harvesting schemes. This
case demonstrates my commitment to ensuring Texas has the most secure elections
in the country, and I thank the Gregg County Sheriff and District Attorney for
their continued partnership. Those who try to manipulate the outcome of
elections in Texas must be held accountable.”
A grand jury returned indictments on 23 felony counts against Commissioner Shannon Brown, 97 felony counts against Marlena Jackson, eight felony counts against Charlie Burns, and six felony counts against DeWayne Ward. The Office of the Attorney General was assisted by the Gregg County Sheriff’s Office during the investigation. The Texas Attorney General will prosecute this case alongside the Gregg County District Attorney.