Texas Woman Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison for Voter Fraud Loses Bid for New Trial

BeamMeUpScotty

2021-04-08 20:53:12 UTC

Post by Leroy N. Soetoro
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/13/us/texas-woman-voter-
fraud.html?action=click&module=RelatedLinks&pgtype=Article
A judge who sentenced a Texas woman to five years in prison for voting
illegally because she was a felon on probation turned down on Monday the
woman’s bid for a new trial.
“Prison is a lot closer for her today,” Alison Grinter, a lawyer for the
woman, Crystal Mason, 43, said on Tuesday, noting that her client would
appeal the decision to a higher court.
Sharen Wilson, the Tarrant County district attorney, declined to comment.
Ms. Mason was convicted of illegal voting in a one-day trial held March 28
before Judge Ruben Gonzalez, a state district court judge who sentenced
her that day to five years in prison. She has been free on bond pending
appeal.
[Where do states stand on voting rights for felons? Here’s a breakdown.]
Ms. Mason, who was sentenced to 60 months in jail for tax fraud and was
released in early 2016, has said that she didn’t know that she wasn’t
allowed to vote in that year’s presidential election. She cast a
provisional ballot at her local church after being told that her name
could not be found on the rolls. The ballot was never counted.
“Crystal’s name was purged from the rolls when she went to prison, but
Crystal did not know that,” Ms. Grinter said in an interview on Tuesday.
Whether felons can vote varies state by state, and has become a
contentious issue. More than six million Americans have been stripped of
their voting rights because of felony disenfranchisement laws, according
to the Sentencing Project, a nonprofit organization that works on criminal
justice reform.
Two months ago, a petition was started online to have all charges against
Ms. Mason, who is black, thrown out. In the petition her photo is placed
next to a photo of Terri Lynn Rote, a white woman who was convicted of
voter fraud in Iowa for trying to vote for President Trump twice. Ms. Rote
was sentenced to two years’ probation and a $750 fine. The petition has
over 38,000 signatures.
As she prepared to appeal the rejection of her motion for a new trial, Ms.
Mason said she had high hopes.
“I showed my kids that no matter what you can get out and get your life in
order,” said Ms. Mason. “But sometimes, regardless of whatever your past
is, you are still going to be beat up for it.”

Wasn't that vote considered fraud?

and didn't the above say she was just released form prison and still on
probation for fraud? So she was doing again, what she was convicted of
and was out of prison on probation for and she repeated her crime of
fraud while still technically incarcerated being on probation.

"for voting illegally because she was a felon on probation"

"Ms. Mason, who was sentenced to 60 months in jail for tax fraud and was
released in early 2016,"

So this NOT her first rodeo.....? maybe she should concentrate on what
constitutes fraud rather than supporting political distractions so that
she won't be returning to prison a 3rd time for fraud.

I will say that FRAUD on taxes and voting are NOT violent crimes, and I
don't see prison as a solution for NON-VIOLENT CRIMES.

But repeating the crime should get you sent up another rung on the
ladder of penalties. SO maybe jail for the second and third crime of
fraud are appropriate, slow learners may need dedicated in house
re-education. She was out on probation which means they released her
early for the first criminal act of fraud. Although I don't know that
she needed to do time for a tax violation, unless she had previous FRAUD
convictions.

--
That's karma

Loading Image...