Texas AG Ken Paxton Secures Nine More Indictments in Frio County Election Integrity Probe

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has intensified his election integrity efforts, announcing nine additional indictments in Frio County on July 3, 2025, bringing the total to 15 individuals charged in a probe targeting alleged vote harvesting in the 2022 and 2024 elections. The latest indictments include high-profile figures such as former Bexar County Democratic Party Chair Juan Manuel Medina and former Texas House candidate Cecilia Castellano. This follows six earlier indictments in May 2025, naming Frio County Judge Rochelle Camacho, former Frio County Elections Administrator Carlos Segura, Pearsall City Council members Ramiro Trevino and Racheal Garza, Pearsall ISD Trustee Adriann Ramirez, and campaign worker Rosa Rodriguez. Other notable figures now indicted include former Pearsall Mayor Petra Davina Trevino, former Dilley Mayor Mary Ann Obregon, and former Dilley council member Inelda Rodriguez.

The charges stem from Texas’ Senate Bill 1, passed in 2021, which makes vote harvesting—knowingly providing or offering ballot collection services for compensation—a third-degree felony, carrying penalties of up to 10 years in prison and $10,000 in fines. The allegations focus on improper payments, reportedly made via mobile apps like Cash App and Zelle, to influence vulnerable voters, particularly the elderly and disabled. Court documents detail a scheme involving a now-deceased campaign worker, Cheryl Denise Castillo, who was paid to collect ballots and influence votes, sometimes advising elderly voters on how to mark their ballots. Medina is accused of acting as a third-party conduit for payments to vote harvesters on behalf of Castellano, while Obregon and Rodriguez allegedly received compensation for similar services.