FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) – A North Texas woman convicted in state court of illegal voting has been sentenced to 10 months in federal prison for violating her parole from a fraud case by casting a ballot.
Crystal Mason was sentenced to five years in state prison after pleading guilty in March to voting illegally in the 2016 presidential election. She was on supervised release from the federal fraud case after having served three years in prison and state lawprohibits voting by a person still serving a sentence for a crime.
The 43-year-old Rendon, Texas, woman had been free on bond while appealing the state sentence, but U.S. District Judge John McBryde sentenced her Thursday for violating the terms of her supervised release that prohibited her from voting.
Matt Smid, Chief of the White Collar Crime Unit in the Tarrant County District Attorney’s office issued a statement after the sentencing saying, “We believe it is not an ‘accidental vote’ when the voter drives herself to the polling place and votes after signing a warning against illegal voting and after being warned not to vote by her defense attorney. That is why the state judge found her guilty and the federal judge revoked her supervised release today.”
