PASCO, WA — A Pasco woman has been arrested and charged with multiple felony counts related to identity theft and illegal voting in the 2024 General Election, according to the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office.

The sheriff’s office said detectives were notified on Oct. 14, 2025, by the prosecuting attorney of an irregular ballot that had been counted in the 2024 election. An investigation determined that a woman who had moved from Pasco to Oregon was properly registered to vote in Oregon, but a Washington ballot was mailed to her former Pasco address.

Investigators said that ballot was completed, submitted to the Franklin County Auditor’s Office, and counted in the election. Detectives also identified three additional ballots sent to the same apartment building that showed suspicious characteristics.

Authorities identified apartment manager Esperanza Contreras, 52, of Pasco, as a suspect in taking possession of the four ballots, which were addressed to former tenants. According to the sheriff’s office, Contreras completed the ballots, signed the envelopes fraudulently, and submitted them to the auditor’s office. Three of the four ballots were confirmed to have been counted, while the fourth was rejected due to a mismatched signature.

Contreras was interviewed by detectives and admitted to voting all four ballots and forging the signatures, officials said. She was arrested and booked into the Franklin County Jail on 12 felony charges related to voter fraud and identity theft.