HOUSTON – A well-known Houston political activist is facing a criminal indictment stemming from bogus charges of election fraud during the 2020 election.
Dr. Steven Hotze, a longtime Republican activist, has been indicted by a Harris County Grand Jury in connection to an assault case from October 2020. The indictment was confirmed Wednesday afternoon by Hotze’s attorney Jared Woodfill.
The indictment is connected to the alleged aggravated assault of a repairman who was held at gunpoint, falsely accused of committing election fraud. A former Houston police captain named Mark Aguirre was charged in the case in December 2020.
Investigators say Aguirre targeted the repairman, falsely accusing him of transporting fraudulent ballots.
Court documents show Aguirre was paid a total of $266,400 by the Houston-based Liberty Center for God and Country, to uncover voter fraud. Woodfill confirmed the organization is run by Hotze in a 2020 interview.
Hotze is now charged in connection to that same incident where the repairman allegedly was held at gunpoint.
“This is clearly a purely politically motivated prosecution,” said Woodfill, who then added, “Clearly this is an attempt to silence Dr. Hotze and ruin his good name in the community.”
Woodfill also questions the reasoning for the indictment claiming, “It’s an abuse of the legal process in an effort to quiet this very vocal critic of this District Attorney.”
In recent years, Hotze has been critical of DA Kim Ogg’s performance in office.
Both Hotze and Aguirre appeared in court for bond hearings Thursday. Hotze posted his $18,500 bond and Aguirre posted is $35,000 bond.