Victor Varela is sentenced for forged Flagstaff mayoral petition signatures

A Coconino County court sentenced former Flagstaff mayoral candidate Victor Varela to two years of supervised probation and a $5,000 fine. The Arizona Attorney General disposition log says Varela knowingly made and submitted forged petition signatures while running for mayor in 2020. Local reporting said Varela pleaded guilty to presenting a false instrument for filing and could not seek public office for five years. The case moved election fraud from ballot casting to candidate access, where forged signatures can put an unqualified name before voters.