EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KOAA) — An Ohio man has been sentenced on charges related to last year's El Paso County Commissioner race, according to the Fourth Judicial District Attorney's (DA's) Office.
The DA's Office says 29-year-old Juan Pichardo plead guilty to 10 counts of elections-forgery and 39 counts of perjury-election offense. He was sentenced to two years of supervised probation and will have to pay back legal fees.
The El Paso County Clerk and Recorder's Office's voting verification process flagged a significant number of petition signatures in connection with David Leinweber's campaign for El Paso County Commissioner District 3.
The DA's Office says the signatures were submitted by Pichardo, who at the time was employed by a petition signature gathering company that was subcontracted to support Leinweber's campaign.
After reviewing the packets, the DA's Office says they were alerted by the Clerk and Recorder's Office.
"The integrity of our elections begins long before ballots are ever cast,” said El Paso County Clerk and Recorder Steve Schleiker. “The detection of fraudulent petition signatures by my office demonstrates the effectiveness of the safeguards and verification processes we have in place. I am incredibly proud of our elections staff for their diligence, attention to detail, and unwavering commitment to protecting the democratic process.”
While investigating, the DA's Office says they had probable cause to file a warrant for his arrest. He was then extradited from his home in Ohio.
"I want to thank the Clerk and Recorder's Office for their diligence and attention to detail," said DA Michael Allen. "Their early detection of potentially fraudulent petition signatures was instrumental in my office’s investigation and subsequent prosecution of this defendant. The fundamental principles of our democracy are based upon the integrity of our elections processes and the staff members who consistently seek accuracy, and, lacking that, accountability. It’s why the citizens of this county can be confident in the outcomes of our local elections.”
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