DOJ Voter Fraud Crackdown

Honduran national charged with voter fraud in first arrest of Trump DOJ crackdown in California

Federal prosecutors in Los Angeles announced the first arrest in a promised election fraud crackdown, charging a Honduran green card holder with two felonies for fraudulently registering to vote and falsely claiming U.S. citizenship.

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli, the top federal prosecutor in California's Central District, announced the charges against Darwin Jonathan Rivera Flores on Friday. Rivera Flores, a resident of the Winnetka area of Los Angeles west of Van Nuys, faces two felony counts: fraudulent voter registration and false claim of U.S. citizenship. The Department of Justice said he entered the country during the George W. Bush administration as a green card holder, but was never a U.S. citizen.

Essayli made clear the case is not an isolated prosecution. He framed it as the opening move in a broader federal effort to root out illegal voter registrations in a state he says makes it far too easy for noncitizens to end up on the rolls.

"Today's arrest is the first of many to come. Unfortunately, because states like California allow non-citizens to easily register to vote and receive a ballot by mail, there's no telling how many non-citizens are currently registered to vote."

Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon warned that the Justice Department would continue to enforce federal election laws barring noncitizen participation. Dhillon said noncitizens who "commit fraud so they can vote in American elections" violate federal law and should expect prosecution.

"Let this criminal complaint serve as a reminder that the Justice Department stands ready to enforce the laws Congress enacted to ensure only American citizens vote in federal elections."

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