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Prosecutors called Julio Carranza, Richard Molina’s former business partner, as a key witness for their case Thursday morning. Detective John Whites, a sergeant with the Texas Attorney General’s Office, was one of the witnesses who showed physical evidence to the jury as he explained the investigation process to investigate the defendant’s case.
Carranza held a mixer at the company’s headquarters, Landmark, where Molina was talking to employees about registering to vote. He explained that the defendant encouraged him to change his residential address in Farr to his brother in Edinburgh.
The witness said Molina told him, ‘Don’t worry about it.’
Carranza admitted encouraging employees to become deputy voter registrars at the defendant’s request to help him win the election against his opponent, Richard Garcia.
Richard Molina’s former business partner, Julio Carranza, was sworn in before testifying to a jury on August 18, 2022. Progress Times photo by Maria Ruiz.
“He’s my business partner,” Carranza said. “Of course we want to win at all costs.”
Attorney Michael Garza asked the entrepreneur if he did it for his own good.
“Did you have a business interest in winning it?” asked the lawyer.
“Things were speeding up, yes,” Carranza replied.
Defense attorney Carlos García Molina asked Carranza if he would commit the crime he asked.
“If Richard [Molina] He asked you to commit a crime… it is illegal, illegal and a crime. Will you do it?” Garcia asked.
If it is after the baptism of the child, Carranza will do it for his former business partner.
“At what level?” Carranza replied. “Yes, how much I trusted him.”
After Carranza said ‘no’ to the robbery if asked by Molina, the defense attorney asked what kind of crime he was committing.
“Voter fraud,” Carranza told the jury.
Molina used the Palacios family and Mary Alice Palacios, the woman who filed the complaint that started this case, as an example for Carranza. “Everybody does it and ‘don’t get caught’.”
Garcia reminded Carranza about his felony conviction and what he would do as an entrepreneur.
“You came here today… when you made a decision… and then you came and found out that he beat the mayor. Then all this attention came out, and Mary Alice Palacios filed a complaint against you, right?”
“That’s right,” Carranza replied.
“And hope for them [the state and district attorney] Is he tearing up that paper and saying, ‘OK, you’re free, we want what we want’?
Carranza confirmed it once before saying ‘correct’.
Whites explained to the jury how he obtained the records and information of 40 people connected to the 2017 voting system.
Car registrations, driver’s license databases and appraisal district files are some of the records obtained for the investigation. If information from the ID matches voter registration, Whites will verify it.
John Waits On August 18, 2022, during testimony, he produced Ray Molina’s apartment key. According to Adolph Cantu, a resident of Edinburg, former Edinburg Mayor Richard Molina instructed him to prepare a key for law enforcement.
Garcia questioned Mission citizen Victoria Cochran, who had testified earlier that day, and Wittes during an interview with her at her residence.
“She explained it to you and told you up until that interview … she told you it was okay,” Garcia said. “Midway through the interview, you said… ‘Richard Molina lied to you.'”
Waites said he doesn’t remember saying those words, but he wouldn’t be surprised if he did.
The witness interviewed 30 of the 40 individuals involved.
“From what you’ve seen, it looks like they didn’t put their residence on the voter card. Do you remember saying that?” Garcia commented during the investigation.
“No, sir,” said Waits. “What I remember is that there was a possibility that they might have. It wasn’t finalized by me before the interview.”
Waiters passed complaints at the beginning of the investigation, which are compact discs with pdf documents.
The compact disc is said to have recorded and not been tampered with, but indications are that its contents have not been disclosed.
“Are those from Mary Alice Palacios?” Garcia asked.
Waites said although the complainant was Palacios, he was not directly served and was not served by the Texas Attorney General’s office.
Garcia Palacios asked White why he made no effort to find out why he filed the complaint.
“We’re going to go with what’s in the complaint,” Waits testified.
Waites did not report that Palacios lost her contract with the city of Edinburg after defeating the defendant mayor, or that her brother was a municipal judge and her nephew was a district attorney.
“My goal was to really look at the complaint and gather evidence to support or disprove the allegations,” White said.
At the end of his testimony, the defendant’s brother, Ray Molina, showed the court the key to the apartment.
“What is the significance of this key in this investigation?” Garza asked.
“This key represents access to one of the defendant’s relative’s residences,” White said.
“Was it ever used? What is used to fool law enforcement?
They wait for a yes to both before being asked a further question and saying goodbye.
Richard Molina and defense attorney Jaime Pena look at evidence on a screen in the 92nd District Court on Aug. 18, 2022. Progress Times photo by Maria Ruiz.
Friday morning’s testimony was suspended after Judge Carlos Valdez requested a recess until 10 a.m. Monday morning. Molina’s defense attorneys discussed introducing key witness District Clerk Hinojosa.
Defense attorneys testified Tuesday morning that Border Patrol Agent Richard Ramirez has filed an appeal against District Secretary Laura Hinojosa and a criminal record in the unsealed case.
The judges were not in court during this discussion.
“This raises some concerns because the state was withholding information that could be discovered,” said Jaime Peña, the defense attorney.
However, Alex Benavidez, an attorney with the District Clerk’s Office, who was present with Hinojosa to address the judge, was asked to quash the summons.
“The issues we argue directly affect the client,” Hinojosa said.
Judge Valdez asked his attorney to speak on the record and denied the motion to dismiss.
Later, Valdez dismissed the jury and welcomed them to resume hearing testimony on Monday, August 22, 2022, at 10 am.
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