[FOXNEWS] An appeals court upheld last year’s conviction of a Texas woman who officials said voted illegally multiple times, Attorney General Ken Paxton said Tuesday.Rosa Maria Ortega, a green card holder, is a permanent resident who lives in the Dallas area. On voter registration forms, Ortega marked she was a U.S. citizen ‐ allowing her to vote "illegally for more than 10 years," Paxton’s office said.
The mother of four was sentenced to eight years in prison with parole eligibility in less than one year. She was also fined $5,000. The Texas 2nd Court of Appeals upheld the conviction Tuesday.
The attorney general’s office said it had offered Ortega a lesser punishment so she could avoid prison ‐ just two years of community supervision ‐ but she declined and chose a jury trial instead.