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It looks like former SAUSD Trustee Nativo Lopez finally got busted. Here is what the L.A. Times is reporting:
Felony charges have been filed and an arrest warrant issued for an Orange County political activist suspected of committing election and voter registration fraud, the California secretary of state’s office announced Wednesday.
Investigators in the agency’s election fraud unit said Nativo V. Lopez, 57, of Santa Ana leased office space in Boyle Heights and registered to vote using that address although he lived with his family in Orange County. They also say Lopez, president of the Mexican-American Political Assn., cast an illegal ballot in L.A. in the 2008 presidential primary.
On Monday, the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office, which is working with the secretary of state, charged Lopez with four felonies: fraudulent voter registration, fraudulent document filing, perjury and fraudulent voting. A warrant was issued for his arrest and bail was set at $10,000. The offenses carry penalties of up to three years in prison.
Was it really that important to Nativo to get Obama elected that he would commit a felony? And will Obama then pardon him at some point?
What a mess! I wonder how Secretary of State Debra Bowen caught wind of this? Click here to read California Secretary of State Debra Bowen’s press release about this case.
UPDATE: The OC Weekly has put up a video of Nativo Lopez duking it out with Bill O’Reilly, at this link.
Wow?…. Such a frivolous crime?….. felony?
Someone must be after Nativo badly.
I wonder, is it local federal someone?
Stanley,
Nativo angered the Dems a few years ago when he switched to the Green Party and helped Ralph Nader. This cost John Kerry the state of Nevada.
This looks like revenge at last for the Blue mob in Sacramento…
That is too complicated for a revenge.
Based on what I know, I believe that Nativo made “T” list by DHS.
I am not big friend of Nativo but this charge reminds me the KGB trick.
I think that we should be concerned about what the DHS is up to.
Today it is Nativo tomorrow it is us.
This reminds me of OJ Simpson getting off for murder but sitting in jail for stealing his own memorabilia. Nativo is, and always has been crooked. I can guarantee you he has committed crimes against the very people he says he is trying to help and those crimes are far more serious than voter fraud. He is a despicable person who will do anything to get his picture in the paper, I guess he didn’t expect to get news this way though.
DARN ITS A LITTLE TOO LATE wish they would have found out years ago . when this guy really committed voter fraud in the sanchez election .
Let me remind everyone that these are simply allegations and nothing has been proven. We don’t even know all the facts yet.
As far as Nativo being a crook as “tmare” alleges, that is laughable.
Trust me, if Nativo did a single thing the government would come down hard and nail him. Do you actually believe they would let him get away with anything?
Because of his activism he is a target. It looks like they finally think they have the goods on him. They have been trying hard for years.
There are plenty of people out there that are registered to vote at an address other than the one they live at. How many kids move away but still use their parents address for voting purposes?
This is quite frivilous indeed.
Furthermore, from what I know, Mr. Mill may be on the same DHR “T” list like Nativo and the triangle.
I would not be surprised if Mr. Mill would get charged with a large carbon footprint felony.
make my day – convict him, lock him up and throw away the key. All he did was keep the Hispanic community oppressed.
Good for the Feds, they are finially doing thier jobs!
their:0
its about time.
He put thousands of new citizens at risk of loosing their citizenship and being deported because of his voter registration scheme back in the mid 90’s.
Really Cook? His scheme?
Why wasn’t he charged as a result of this so-called “scheme”?
All these alleged wrongdoings have never resulted in charges? Why not?
During the recall election the “usual suspects” threw charge after charge out there. These claims were nothing more than fabrications concocted in the disturb minds of the hateful folks involved in the recall.
I guess as long as folks like you continue to repeat the lies they will live on forever.
Btw Cook, do you think the SAUSD is better off today as a result of that recall?
There is / was a loop-hole. Only the voter can be held accountable for what is on the voter affidavit.
Not the person who gave them the forms and instructed them in how to fill it out.
Sean,
I find it interesting that you want to wait until the facts come out on this one. You seemed to have no problem with rumors and allegations when it was surrounding Noah Kroms unfortunate death.
It seems to me that over the years Lopez has made a living exploiting immigration issues for his own gain and self-promotion. He escaped prosecution by the skin of his teeth when his organization was audited by the feds and could not account for significant sums of federal money. When you operate like he has, sooner or later you are going to do something you cannot talk your way out of, and get in trouble big time. Looks like this is that time. Is anyone really surprised that at some point he would find himeslf prosecuted for some kind of white collar crime offense?
Yes it is a felony, you would be surprised at what seemly minor crimes are felonies if the D.A. wishes to charge them that way.
Yes a bit like the KGB but we voted to give them the power and they use it to protect us.
The down side is overfilled prisons, high costs and once some get out better trained criminals and gang members.
“….but we voted to give them the power and they use it to protect us”…. I am not sure who and what they protecting Jim.
Having about 20,000,000 illegal immigrants in this country who too committed felony and we can’t even say “illegal” without being called racists and haters.
#13: Why is that a loophole?
It says right next to the signature line that with the signature, you state that you are a US citizen. An adult can be expect to understand what he or she signs.
Or do you want to buy this bridge in NYC that I have up for sale???
Joe,
Am I reading this stuff right? Lopez may have voted twice? Just him and not like 10 or more people? and if so, doesnt a fine and maybe stripping him of future voting rights make more sense than 3 years in our overburdened prisons? Seems like a lot of overkill IF he is even found guilty. It looks like someone/s has an axe to grind with this guy.
http://www.judicialwatch.org/blog/2009/jun/top-la-raza-figure-charged-multiple-felonies
From the corruption chronicles site, listed above:
Last Updated: Fri, 06/26/2009 – 11:38am
A well known and politically connected La Raza activist who served as board chairman of a California public school district has been arrested and charged with four felony counts of voter fraud.
The renowned Latino rights activist (Nativo Lopez), in trouble for voter fraud in the past, cast an illegal ballot in the 2008 presidential primary and used a false address to register in another county, according to the California Secretary of State Election Fraud Investigation Unit.
Lopez registered to vote using a leased commercial office in Los Angeles although he lived with his family in another county (Orange County). Under state law registering where you are not entitled to vote is a felony punishable by up to three years in prison. Fraudulent voting, which Lopez has also been charged with, is also a felony punishable by up to three years in jail.
The Los Angeles County prosecutor’s office has charged the longtime immigration advocate with fraudulent voter registration, fraudulent document filing, perjury and fraudulent voting. In 1996 Lopez was investigated for registering new voters before their citizenship was finalized to help a popular Mexican American Democrat (Loretta Sanchez) get elected to the U.S. House.
Lopez is a veteran of the illegal immigrant rights movement and is the president of the Mexican American Political Association, a decades-old group with offices throughout California that claims its time for Latinos to take their “rightful place” in American government. Lopez regularly organizes marches and boycotts throughout the state to protest measures he claims are discriminatory against illegal immigrants.
For years Lopez was an elected member of a southern California school board district (Santa Ana Unified) which serves about 55,000 mostly Hispanic students. He also served as chairman of the board and got in trouble for ignoring a state law requiring English instruction in public schools to accommodate illegal immigrants that demanded subjects in Spanish. The violation cost Nativo his school board post in 2003 when an overwhelming majority of residents voted to recall him.
this guy always was shaky . with hermandad and all the other spanish only inc .
Stanislav, I did not mean to imply that I approved of how they use that power. I do not, giving any one person or group to much power is dangerous.
#18 Joe, not really a loop-hole, But
When you have a civil rights / immigration attorney telling to it is OK to fill out the voters affidavit before the Citizenship Ceremony, would you question him on weather its legal? (That is what happened in 96)
The OCR reports that the OCROV said that his Orange County voter’s registration was cancelled before he voted in LA. Also the papers do not say he is charged with dual / multi voting.
Instructions (from affidavit updated Feb. 2007)
#2 ADRRESS WHERE YOU LIVE: This must be your residence and domicile. You may not use your business, mailing or secondary address. (This is in Spanish too)
He just violated the part of the law that says, you vote where you live. (The paper said he had no comment on where he lived)
In 96 he didn’t sign the erroneous and unlawful voter affidavits of the soon to be new citizens (loop-hole) but this time he did sign his own erroneous and unlawful voter affidavit.
He is screwed: High Profile, an attorney, field of expertise is voting rights.