A 37-year-old Mexican woman living in Texas was sentenced to eight years in prison for voting illegally in elections in 2012 and 2014.
Rosa Maria Ortega was found guilty on Wednesday on two counts of illegal voting after she falsely claimed to be a United States citizen and voted at least five times between 2012 and 2014.
A jury sentenced her Thursday to eight years in prison and a USD 5,000 fine.
Ortega, a permanent resident and a mother of four who lives outside Dallas had voted in five elections before her registration was cancelled in April 2015.
Ortega's identity came into question after she tried to register to vote twice in Tarrant County. Both applications were denied.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton - for whom Ortega voted in 2014 - assisted in the prosecution.
"This case shows how serious Texas is about keeping its elections secure, and the outcome sends a message that violators of the state's election law will be prosecuted to the fullest," he said.
Ortega was born in Monterrey, Mexico and brought to the US by her mother as an infant. More than a decade later, her mother was deported and Ortega became a permanent resident.
In her defense, Ortega testified that she didn't understand the differences between the rights granted to citizens and the rights granted to legal residents.
"My mom just used us to get stamps. She never gave us love or guidance. She got deported," she said.
"All my life since I worked, I always on my knowledge thought I was a US citizen because I never knew the difference of US citizen and US resident. And the point is if I knew, everything would've been the correct way.
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