WINNETKA—On August 28, the U.S. Department of Justice Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California announced an arrested in a statewide election fraud case. Darwin Jonathan Rivera Flores, 30, is charged with two felonies including false claim to U.S. citizenship and fraudulent voter registration. Rivera Flores is a Honduran national and lawful resident living in the San Fernando Valley with a green card. She is not eligible to vote in the U.S.
“Noncitizens who commit fraud so they can vote in American elections do so in violation of federal law and should expect to be prosecuted. 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,” stated Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Civil Rights Division.
“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. We again renew our request that California immediately comply with our requests to audit the voter rolls so that all voters can have confidence in our elections,” stated First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli.
On May 18, the U.S. Department of Justice announced the felony arrest of Brenda Lee Armstrong, aka “Anika,” of Marina Del Rey, who pleaded guilty for paying another person to vote. Armstrong, 64, worked close to 20 years, collecting signatures for ballot initiatives, and giving financial incentives to people on Skid Row to vote. Her sentencing date is scheduled for August 31. She faces five years in prison for her crimes.
“This is not an allegation, this is not a theory, this is an example of admitted voter fraud. We’re going to aggressively prosecute voter fraud.” And “Yes, there is evidence of election fraud in California,” Essayli stated.
In May 2026, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 73 (SB73) attempting to prevent the U.S. Government from accessing voter rolls.
On August 24, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that President Trump’s executive order to tighten restrictions on mail-in voting. The high court overturned the lower court order that previously blocked the Trump Administration from enforcing strict mail-in voting guidelines from 23 Democratic led states that argued against election integrity.
The U.S. Postal Service published a final rule mandating that states provided recipient lists and meet ballot standards for mail-in voting.
On August 27, Bonta denied that President Trump has a right to demand election integrity. “There is no mass widespread voter fraud. It is a figment of his imagination,” Bonta stated.
