On Thursday, 12 Marshall County jurors came to a verdict in the voter fraud case.

The jury found Jorge Oscar Sanchez Vasquez, 43, guilty of first-degree election misconduct – vote fraud, and not guilty of first-degree election misconduct – registration fraud. Sanchez Vasquez did not choose to testify during the trial.

Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 28 at 10 a.m. at the Marshall County Courthouse. Election misconduct is considered a class “D” felony and carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $7,500 fine.

The jury determined that Sanchez Vasquez illegally voted in the July 16, 2024 Marshalltown City Council 4th Ward election at the Redeemer Lutheran Church location. He was arrested and charged on Oct. 31, 2024.

One of the reasons for the length of time between being charged and the start of the trial was requests for continuances were made by defense attorney at the time, Billy Mallory. While Sanchez Vasquez waived his right to a 90-day speedy trial in the affidavit, he did not waive his right to a one-year trial. When the case came to trial on Oct. 14, the court called 65 potential jurors, but only 42 appeared. The defense said there were not enough jurors to proceed and requested a continuance.

The trial was then set for Nov. 3, which was after the one-year deadline, but since the defense requested the continuance, the trial would continue. On Nov. 3, 100 jurors were called, but only 90 appeared. The defense asked for a new jury pool and said the one-year speedy trial would not be waived. The court agreed to finding a new jury pool but added that good cause for proceeding past the deadline would be found.

Mallory then requested a motion to dismiss the case against Sanchez Vasquez because the deadline had not been met. District Associate Judge Kathryn Judge denied the request, stating the one-year deadline is not to be used as a means to request repeated delays and then seek dismissal.

Sixteen days after Mallory submitted the dismissal request, he withdrew himself as Sanchez Vasquez’s counsel, and attorney Jennifer Weaver began representing him.

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Contact Lana Bradstream

at 641-753-6611 ext. 210 or

lbradstream@timesrepublican.com.