3 in La Puente Accused of Vote Fraud

Three family members of La Puente Councilman Louie Lujan were arrested Thursday on suspicion of voting twice in a municipal election last year in which Lujan won his seat, authorities said.

Arrested were Lujan’s wife, Christina, 23, whom he married earlier this summer, and his father-in-law and mother-in-law, Jesus and Celia Lamas.

A fourth relative was expected to turn herself in to police, said Alfie Charles, a spokesman for the California secretary of state’s office. Lujan, 26, is not a suspect in the case, officials said.

Charles said the four probably will face one felony count each of voter fraud. If convicted, each faces up to three years in prison.

He said the four mailed absentee ballots and also voted at their regular polling places. Safeguards to prevent such double voting apparently did not work, and officials are looking into why, he said.

Charles said the case was referred to the state by the La Puente city clerk sometime after the March 2001 election.

George Bird, who is representing the Lujan family members, said that “none of these people committed any crimes.”

“I expect that the evidence will show that the voting records are deficient in La Puente,” Bird said.

He identified the fourth suspect as a sister-in-law.