The area is not a newcomer to such allegations. State Rep. Angel Cruz, leader of the Seventh Ward, was arrested in 1999 for allegedly trying to pay people to vote for him in a ward race. The charges were ultimately dropped after a jury failed to reach a verdict. In 2015, Councilwoman Maria Quiñones-Sánchez and her challenger, Manny Morales, each accused each other's campaigns of fraud. The Seventh and 43rd Wards, which are next to each other, are in Sánchez's district.