Charges dropped against conservative activist in Texas over false voter fraud claim

HOUSTON (AP) — Texas prosecutors on Tuesday dropped charges against a prominent conservative activist in Houston related to allegations he had been part of what authorities have called a baseless voter fraud conspiracy theory in which a man was run off the road and held at gunpoint over claims he was holding fraudulent voter ballots.

Dr. Steven Hotze, 74, had been facing four charges related to allegedly helping plan an assault against an air conditioner repairman in October 2020.

Prosecutors alleged the repairman was run off the road and held at gunpoint by Mark Aguirre, a former Houston police officer. Aguirre had worked for a firm hired by Liberty Center for God and Country, a nonprofit organization that Hotze runs, to pursue a voter fraud investigation.

Aguirre had claimed the repairman was the mastermind of the voter fraud scheme and that the man’s truck had been filled with fraudulent ballots when Aguirre ran his SUV into it, according to authorities.

Police who responded to the incident searched the repairman’s truck and found only air conditioning parts and tools, prosecutors said.

Hotze was charged with four counts — aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, engaging in organized crime and unlawful restraint.

On Tuesday, the Harris County District Attorney’s Office dropped all four counts against Hotze and three of the five counts against Aguirre, who is still facing charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and unlawful restraint.

“This deeply troubling case shows how toxic conspiracy theories can fuel real-world violence that endangers people in our community,” Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare said in a statement. “We look forward to vigorously prosecuting the remaining charges in this case that stand up to legal scrutiny.”

Jared Woodfill, Hotze’s attorney, said he was surprised but pleased by the dismissal of the charges.

“It’s been a long four-year journey for Dr. Hotze. It cost him a lot of money. Obviously, they tried to destroy his reputation through the negative publicity. But in the end, justice was served and everything’s been dismissed,” Woodfill said.

Terry Yates, an attorney for Aguirre, did not immediately return a call or email seeking comment.

A conservative power broker, Hotze has a long history of filing election-related lawsuits, including unsuccessfully suing to stop the extension of early voting in Texas during the 2022 election. He also sued officials in Harris County to limit in-person and absentee voting, making allegations without evidence that Democrats were engaged in “ballot harvesting” by gathering votes from individuals who are homeless or elderly.

Woodfill said Hotze continues to believe that voter fraud is taking place in Harris County, the state’s most populous county and where Houston is located.

“I think everybody will tell you there’s voter fraud. Just the question is how much,” Woodfill said.

Texas has tightened its voter laws in recent years and increased penalties that Democrats and opponents say are attempts to suppress turnout among Black and Latino voters.

Elections in Harris County, a Democratic stronghold, have been heavily scrutinized in recent years by GOP lawmakers, including Gov. Greg Abbott, after problems with ballot and worker shortages, long lines and ballots that were not counted the day of the election.

In 2023, Abbott signed a bill that removed Harris County’s elections administrator and transferred the responsibility to other local officials.

Earlier this month, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced indictments against six people in a rural county southwest of San Antonio as part of a widening elections investigation.

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Follow Juan A. Lozano: https://twitter.com/juanlozano70