Sanchez Vasquez placed on probation for election misconduct

Jorge Oscar Sanchez Vasquez was granted a deferred adjudication last Friday by a Marshall County District Court judge.

In December, Sanchez Vasquez, 43, was found guilty of first-degree election misconduct – vote fraud, a Class D felony, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $7,500 fine.

The deferment places him on probation for three years under the supervision of the Department of Correctional Services. During that time, he must obey all local, state and federal laws and pay a $1,025 fine. If he fulfills all of the probation obligations, his election misconduct record will be expunged.

The court order states that the deferred judgment is granted given Sanchez Vasquez’s age, attitude, criminal history, employment, financial and family circumstances, the nature of the offense, the recommendation of the parties, the presentence investigation report and the rehabilitation of Sanchez Vasquez.

At the beginning of the year, his defense attorney, Jennifer Weaver, filed a motion for a new trial and an arrest of judgment. The motion was filed almost one month after a 12-person jury found Sanchez Vasquez guilty of the previously mentioned charge, and not guilty of first-degree election misconduct — registration fraud. It was determined that he voted in the July 2024 Marshalltown City Council 4th Ward election at the Redeemer Lutheran Church location. Sanchez Vasquez, a legal resident of the U.S. who is not a citizen, was arrested and charged in October 2024.

After Sanchez Vasquez’s trial did not begin within one year of being charged, his attorney at the time, Billy Mallory, filed a motion to dismiss the case against his client as the one-year deadline was not met. However, the court found the reason for the trial delays were largely due to the defense, not the state.