More Republican Party Institutional Slime

Jan 4, 8:02 AM EST

Two republican signature gatherers sentenced in Orange County voter fraud case

SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) -- Two signature gatherers charged with tricking voters in Orange County into registering as Republicans were sentenced to three years' probation.

Jason Holly, 36, and Jessica Sundell, 23, also were told Wednesday they cannot recruit voters or collect signatures for petitions, said Senior Deputy District Attorney Dan Hess, the lead prosecutor in the voter registration scandal case.

Holly and Sundell were among a dozen people arrested last fall and charged with fraudulent completion of affidavit of registration, a felony. One of the 12 defendants remains a fugitive.

Hess said the pair, who pleaded guilty in November, will get credit for time served: 24 days for Holly and 30 days for Sundell.

The signature gatherers were part of an Orange County Republican registration drive that paid recruiters up to $10 for each registrant. Orange County Republican Party Chairman Scott Baugh said in October that the party did not know about the illegal signature gatherings.

No charges were filed against the Republican Party, or the private firms that hired the suspects.

Prosecutors said the recruiters visited shopping centers and college campuses in an effort to find new voters. Residents in the district represented by six-term Rep. Loretta Sanchez, a Democrat, were asked to sign petitions for lower taxes or stricter sex offender laws, then tricked into signing voter registration cards, prosecutors said.

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