Orange County Assessor Webster Guillory charged with filing false nomination papers

The Orange County district attorney has charged the city assessor with filing false nomination papers for the primary election in March 2014.

Guillory is accused of signing his name on two petitions that were collected by his associate and of having a colleague falsely sign a third petition that was also collected by an associate, Senior District Attorney Brock Zimmon said.

"When somebody circulates those papers, they're required to sign an affidavit that they personally did that, and that they personally witnessed those signatures being written," Zimmon said. "That information submitted on three of those forms was false."

To qualify as a candidate for assessor, a person must file paperwork that includes 20 signatures by Orange County registered voters who support his or her candidacy. At the end of each nomination paper, the person who collected the signatures must sign to acknowledge that the he or she personally circulated the nomination papers and witnessed their signing. 

 Zimmon, who is prosecuting the case, emphasized that the prosecution is not stating that Guillory forged signatures.

“We are stating that there was false information regarding the name of the person who circulated the nomination papers,” Zimmon said.

If convicted, Guillory faces a possible sentence ranging from probation up to four years and four months in jail.  He's scheduled to be arraigned Friday morning.