Arizona Women Sentenced to Jail For Ballot Harvesting

An Arizona woman has just been sentenced to 30 days in jail after pleading guilty to ballot harvesting.

Guillermina Fuentes illegally collected four early voting ballots during the August 2020 primary.

Previously Fuentes served as the Democratic mayor of San Luis a town located in Arizona.

Along with giving her 30 days in jail, Yuma County Superior Court Judge Roger Nelson gave Fuentes two year probation for not being remorseful for her crime.

REPORT: Arizona Democrat Guillermina Fuentes Sentenced to 30 Days in Jail for Ballot Harvesting…

— Chuck Callesto (@ChuckCallesto) October 16, 2022

"Guillermina Fuentes, a 66-year-old school board member and former mayor of the border town of San Luis, was ordered Thursday to turn herself in to the Yuma County Jail"
Arizona Democrat Sentenced to 30 Days in Jail for Ballot Harvesting https://t.co/gurqA4aE2p

— Carmen (@pepsiholic1990) October 17, 2022

NBC 12 News had these details to add:

A southwestern Arizona woman who pleaded guilty to illegally collecting four early voting ballots in the 2020 primary election was sentenced to 30 days in jail and two years probation on Thursday, with the judge rejecting her plea for just probation and saying he did not think she accepts responsibility for her criminal act.

The sentence for Guillermina Fuentes, a 66-year-old school board member and former mayor of the small border city of San Luis, caps a lengthy case that caught the eye of investigators the day of the August 2020 primary and eventually led to charges against Fuentes and another San Luis woman.

Yuma County Superior Court Judge Roger Nelson told Fuentes that despite a parade of character witnesses and a probation officer who wrote a pre-sentence report saying in court last week that she was remorseful, Nelson said he didn’t believe it, and then quoted from the report.

“‘The defendant acknowledged responsibility for carrying ballots for someone else however, she stated, ’I’m not a criminal,” Nelson read.

“Well, you are a criminal,” Nelson told her. “You committed a criminal offense. I don’t think you recognize that as a criminal offense. That’s the problem that I have.”

Former Mayor of the City of San Luis Guillermina Fuentes was sentenced to a two-year probation and 30 days in jail for ballot harvesting, according to Attorney General Mark Bronvich. https://t.co/znfjINnsMM

— KGUN 9 (@kgun9) October 14, 2022

Jail time for ballot harvester, ex Mayor of San Luis and Congressman Grijalva supporter, Guillermina Fuentes.https://t.co/jHUjETvHo0

— Luis Pozzolo 4 Congress (@Luis4Congress) October 14, 2022

The Epoch Times had more on the story:

An Arizona Democrat has been sentenced to 30 days in jail because of her involvement in a local ballot harvesting scheme during a 2020 municipal election.

Guillermina Fuentes, a 66-year-old school board member and former mayor of the border town of San Luis, was ordered Thursday to turn herself in to the Yuma County Jail, according to the office of Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich. She was also placed on two years of probation.

Fuentes, alongside her associate Alma Juarez, earlier this year pleaded guilty to one count each of ballot abuse. She was accused of illegally collecting early ballots from four individuals who were not her family members during the August 2020 primary. Investigators reported at that time that she was using her position in the San Luis community to persuade local voters to let her or her acquaintances deposit their ballots.

According to the report (pdf), the Arizona Attorney General’s office started investigating Fuentes following a complaint of a potential case of voter fraud. Video evidence provided to investigators apparently showed that Fuentes was collecting and filling out ballots at a table outside a polling place.

Guillermina Fuentes a former Democrat mayor in Arizona has been sentenced to jail after being convicted of ballot harvesting charges. #ballotharvesting #Arizona pic.twitter.com/l5QUHU8FbL

— ✿ Twyla Twinkle ✿ (@twinkle_twyla) October 16, 2022