I want you to meet Justice of the Peace Russ Casey from the Fort Worth area.  He’s a Republican.

Russ Casey

Casey was indicted for and pled guilty to tampering with a government document.  It seems that Casey forged signatures on his petition to secure a place on the November ballot. In short, he fixed an election.

Casey was sentenced to two years in jail, probated over five years. He went home that day and will never see the inside of a jail.

And then there’s Crystal Mason, in the same damn county as Casey. Mason was on probation for a tax fraud conviction.  Her mother pushed her to go vote on election day and she did.  Her name was not on the voter list, so she voted a provisional ballot, which was never counted.

Crystal Mason

The state said she should have known she couldn’t vote while on probation.

She will spend five damn years in prison.  Not probation, prison.

Also, in the same damn county, Rosa Maria Ortega is a green card holder from Mexico and has lived in Texas most of her life.  She voted in the 2014 Republican primary and received eight years in prison for it. In the same damn county.

Casey was the only one to walk away.  The newspaper added that Casey was no angel even outside of his recent conviction.

Casey, first elected in 2007, has a history of making headlines.

Last year, he was reprimanded for having an “improper sexual relationship” with a former clerk by the State Commission on Judicial Conduct.

It seems to me that there is something connected in all these cases.  But one walked free.  I wonder why?

Thanks to Larry for the heads up.