Federal agents have arrested Darwin Jonathan Rivera Flores, a 30-year-old Honduran national residing in the San Fernando Valley, on felony charges of illegally registering to vote by falsely claiming U.S. citizenship. The arrest, part of a broader federal crackdown on alleged election fraud in California, was announced Friday by Bill Essayli, the U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California.
Essayli stated that Rivera Flores's arrest is "the first of many to come" and criticized California's election laws, suggesting they allow non-citizens to register and receive mail-in ballots with ease. "There’s no telling how many non-citizens are currently registered to vote," he said.
Rivera Flores, who is a lawful permanent resident but not a U.S. citizen, is accused of two felonies related to his voter registration. Prosecutors allege he falsely attested to being a U.S. citizen on voter registration forms, using his driver's license for identification. Court records indicate Rivera Flores entered the U.S. in 2002 and there is no record of him seeking or obtaining U.S. citizenship, nor has he voted in an election. He faces charges of falsely claiming U.S. citizenship and fraudulent voter registration.
This case is occurring amidst broader federal investigations into election irregularities in Los Angeles, including an alleged pay-for-vote scheme in Skid Row. Federal prosecutors have been examining election processes in the region, including a visit to the Los Angeles County ballot processing facility during the state's primary election.
Rivera Flores has a prior history of activism. In February, he pleaded guilty to charges related to physically disrupting immigration law enforcement operations at a federal building during an anti-ICE protest in Camarillo. He was placed on one year of probation.
In April, Rivera Flores reportedly sent a series of aggressive text messages to a federal agent, expressing animosity and including threats. Court documents indicate that during an investigation into these communications, law enforcement discovered an online voter registration record under the name "Darwin Rivera" linked to his address. They also obtained a voter registration application with Rivera Flores’ signature and a voter registration receipt.
Essayli contends that California's voter registration system, which allows registration online and through various forms of identification, facilitates fraud. He noted that while most voters provide a driver's license or Social Security number, these can be issued to non-citizens. The U.S. Attorney's office has sought to access California's voter rolls to verify citizenship status but has been met with refusal from the state. "They will not give us the voter rolls, so we can check them to make sure that only citizens are on there," Essayli said.
A spokesperson for the California Secretary of State's office, which oversees elections, stated that all registered voters must attest under penalty of perjury that they are U.S. citizens and eligible to vote. Identity verification is conducted through data comparison with the California Department of Motor Vehicles and the Social Security Administration. Approximately 98% of registered voters in California include a driver's license number or the last four digits of their Social Security number during registration.
Rivera Flores was arrested outside a health-care center in Ventura and taken into custody by FBI agents. He has stated, "I did not do nothing. This is abuse." He was expected to appear in federal court in downtown Los Angeles on Friday afternoon. Federal authorities have indicated their intention to pursue further cases of suspected election fraud.