NEW: Ex-Texas Democratic Party Chair Among 9 Indicted For Alleged Voter Fraud

A grand jury in South Texas has indicted nine individuals, including a number of prominent Democrats, for alleged ballot harvesting as part of a sprawling voter fraud investigation by Attorney General Ken Paxton.

Among the indicted were Manuel Medina, who once chaired the Bexar County Democratic Party, which encompasses San Antonio, and served as a legislative aide. Cecilia Castellano, who lost a bid last year to represent a district that includes Frio County in the state legislature’s lower chamber, was also indicted, according to a report from the Texas Tribune.

Castellano, who is facing two counts of vote harvesting, turned herself into authorities on Wednesday. Don Flanary, an attorney for Castellano, professed his client’s innocence and questioned the government’s ability to bring the charges. “It’s highly inappropriate, in my opinion, to be filing these charges now when the 5th Circuit is going to rule about whether the activity is even a crime. … These people aren’t charged with voter fraud. These people aren’t charged with the traditional ways that it’s illegal to get votes or do voter fraud.”

A number of additional elected officials were also among those indicted, including the former mayors of Pearsall and Dilley and other local elected officials from those cities and Frio County, local outlet KSAT reported.

The indictments come on the heels of six previous ones announced back in May as part of the same investigation.

Judge Rochelle Lozano Camacho, an elected judge serving Frio County, was charged with three counts of illegal ballot harvesting during her 2022 primary campaign when she waged a bitter battle for her party’s nomination. Charged alongside Camacho was her sister — the county’s election administrator — as well as two Pearsall, Texas, city council members and an additional woman.

In total, 15 people have been charged so far in the sprawling ballot harvesting investigation.

Paxton, who is running to the right of U.S. Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) in next year’s Republican primary, said in a statement that he hopes the arrests send a clear message that illegal activity in the Lonestar State’s elections will not be tolerated. “Elected officials who think they can cheat to stay in power will be held accountable. No one is above the law,” he said.