A federal U.S. attorney in Southern California has made his first arrest in what he says will be an ongoing election fraud crackdown.
Bill Essayli, first assistant U.S. attorney for the Central District of California, is a one-man fraud-fighting phenomenon. He figured out how to avoid sanctuary policies that defy ICE detainer requests by issuing federal arrest warrants against the illegal aliens, necessitating their hand-off. He has arrested numerous criminals who were stealing vast amounts of taxpayer money. And he is also trying to fix just a few of the problems with the fraud-riddled California voting system.
Importantly, Essayli emphasized that this was the start of his effort to arrest election fraudsters, implying that there will be many more. This alien voter is not an anomaly, nor is his arrest a one-off incident. No doubt California Democrats from Gov. Gavin Newsom on down will have breakdowns over the new federal crackdown.
🚨 Election Fraud Arrests Begin
— F.A. United States Attorney Bill Essayli (@USAttyEssayli) August 28, 2026
This morning we arrested and federally charged a Honduran national for unlawfully registering to vote in California and falsely claiming to be a U.S. citizen.
Darwin Jonathan Rivera Flores, 30, of Winnetka, is charged with two felonies and faces… pic.twitter.com/XUE8gII4GK
In discussing Rivera’s case, Essayli highlighted the fact that it is incredibly easy for noncitizens in California to register to vote and request a mail-in ballot. The range of identification that California accepts for registering to vote includes everything from a passport or military ID or driver’s license to a health club card, a student ID, a bank statement, a government check, a public housing card, a discount card, or a drug prescription. Many, if not most, of these are accessible to illegal aliens in California.
Related: DHS Secretary Says Chinese Parts in Voting Machines Necessitate Audit
In fact, Essayli stated unequivocally, “States like California do not screen voter registration applications for citizenship. Every non-citizen registered to vote dilutes a lawful citizen’s vote. We need to audit California’s dirty voter rolls.” There is no mechanism in the woke state to screen out noncitizens, Essayli noted. Rivera faces multiple felony charges.
Video shows a Honduran agitator being arrested by Homeland Security agents early Friday morning outside a health care center in Ventura on charges of illegally registering to vote, as part of a crackdown on suspected election fraud in California. https://t.co/Z3xHRpKBrx pic.twitter.com/E8W6DsXcpg
— California Post (@californiapost) August 28, 2026
Essayli criticized California’s Attorney General Rob Bonta (D) for “working overtime to keep non-citizens on the voter rolls and prevent a federal audit.” California Democrats have been fighting federal authorities every inch of the way to prevent an extensive and honest look at registered voter data in the sanctuary state.
But Essayli did thank Homeland Security Investigations Los Angeles “for its outstanding work on this investigation. More arrests to come.”
There is also, of course, the issue of mass ballot harvesting in California. In Los Angeles alone, there is an ongoing and extensive network to bribe homeless people to vote Democrat, sometimes under false names. No doubt there will be many arrests to come.
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