Latino-rights activist Nativo Lopez charged with voter fraud

Longtime Latino rights activist and former Santa Ana school board chairman Nativo Lopez has been charged with four felony counts of voter fraud and a warrant has been issued for his arrest, according to this announcement by Secretary of State Debra Bowen.

Bowen’s office worked in collaboration with the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office, which has charged Lopez with fraudulent voter registration, fraudulent document filing, perjury and fraudulent voting.

The charges stem from Lopez allegedly registering to vote using an office address in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles although he lived with his family in Orange County, according to Bowen’s office. He also allegedly cast an illegal ballot from Los Angeles in the 2008 presidential primary.

Lopez is a leader of Mexican American Political Association and Hermandad Mexican Latinoamericana, both of which are advocates for immigrant rights. In 1996, he attracted controversy for registering new citizens in in the congressional district where Democrat Loretta Sanchez upset incumbent Bob Dornan.

Here's how they corrupt the culture.

Two held in bust of bogus ID operation

NORTH BERGEN, NJ -- July 21, 2006 -- Pelcastre brothers, Angel and Jorge, Dallas, were a walking threat to US national security, expert document forgers who, for a few thousand dollars, could give anyone a new identity, authorities said.

The two men turned a hotel room into a business office and were readying a massive cache of fake Social Security cards for delivery to a local identity broker.

They were a "one-stop shop" for a myriad of fake US documents, including birth certificates, Social Security cards, driver's licenses for any state in the US, passports and resident alien cards, said state police.

Officers happened upon two cars bearing Texas plates in a hotel parking lot. Authorities wouldn't identify the hotel by name for fear it would spark retribution. The Drug Interdiction Task Force, regularly runs checks.

The brothers were followed to an office supply store nearby where they purchased computer supplies. Officers then followed the brothers to a storage facility in Secaucus, where they loaded several boxes into a car. One of them stood lookout.

Authorities approached them when they returned to the hotel and questioned them separately. The brothers consented to a search. Police recovered laminating sheets with built-in security features, pages of blank documents waiting for fake names and information, finished documents, computers and software to create the fake IDs.

All told, the haul was worth about $500,000 on the street. Police also recovered $6,000 in cash, which was the first payment from a fake document broker for a shipment of 500 Social Security cards.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.