First Arrest Made in Election Fraud Crackdown by Trump Administration

<p>The first arrest in an election fraud crackdown announced by a Trump administration prosecutor occurred on Friday in Los Angeles. The case is being used by the White House to respond to longstanding critics.</p><p>Bill Essayli, First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, stated that a Honduran national has been charged with two felony counts and may face deportation if convicted. He criticized California’s current voter-registration safeguards and reiterated demands from the Department of Justice (DOJ) for a <a href="https://foxnews.com/politics/noncitizens-voter-rolls-democrat-run-state-exposed-rnc-chair-pledges-secure-elections" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">voter-roll audit</a>.</p><p>“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,” Essayli said in a statement regarding the arrest of Darwin Jonathan Rivera-Flores.</p><p>Rivera-Flores, who lives in the Winnetka neighborhood west of Van Nuys, was charged with fraudulent voter registration and false claim of U.S. citizenship. According to the DOJ, he did not vote in an election.</p><p>Rivera-Flores entered the U.S. during the George W. Bush administration and held a green card but was not a U.S. citizen, as stated in the affidavit.</p><p>He had previously been charged with a misdemeanor for disrupting immigration law enforcement operations at a federal building in Camarillo, California, and was sentenced to one year of probation.</p><p>Rivera-Flores allegedly sent a Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agent a series of text messages, criticizing the officer and expressing his views on the upcoming midterms.</p><p>Text messages reviewed by Fox News included several derogatory remarks directed at the officer.</p><p>The White House indicated that Rivera-Flores’ case counters claims made by mainstream media and political critics regarding the existence of <a href="https://foxnews.com/politics/doj-taunts-media-after-trump-scores-win-battleground-state-ballot-fight" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">voter fraud</a>.</p><p>“Despite the media and Democrats claiming it never happens, the evidence of non-citizens registering to vote in our elections continues to pile up,” White House spokeswoman Lauren Bis told Fox News Digital.</p><p>“Any non-citizens found registering to vote and voting in our elections will be held accountable. Only Americans should be electing American leaders,” she added.</p><p>Essayli stated that the case supports the DOJ’s request for California to comply with Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon’s demand for a comprehensive voter-roll audit.</p><p>Dhillon remarked that noncitizens who commit fraud to vote in American elections violate federal law and should expect prosecution.</p><p>“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,” Dhillon said.</p><p>Californians will vote in November on whether to impose additional <a href="https://foxnews.com/us/dhs-approves-plan-verify-voter-citizenship-monitor-mail-ballots-trump-push-intensifies" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">voter-ID and citizenship-verification requirements</a>. Under current law, individuals registering to vote must declare under penalty of perjury that they are U.S. citizens and provide identifying information. This initiative is led by state Sen. Tony Strickland, R-Huntington Beach, and Assemblyman Carl DeMaio, R-San Diego.</p>