{"id":2651428,"date":"2026-08-28T21:23:04","date_gmt":"2026-08-29T01:23:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/doj-arrests-foreigner-accused-of-taking-advantage-of-californias-weak-election-laws\/"},"modified":"2026-08-28T21:41:37","modified_gmt":"2026-08-29T01:41:37","slug":"doj-arrests-foreigner-accused-of-taking-advantage-of-californias-weak-election-laws","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/doj-arrests-foreigner-accused-of-taking-advantage-of-californias-weak-election-laws\/","title":{"rendered":"DOJ Arrests Foreigner Accused of Taking Advantage of California&#8217;s Weak Election Laws"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdoj-arrests-foreigner-accused-of-taking-advantage-of-californias-weak-election-laws%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2651428&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A man named Darwin Jonathan Rivera Flores, a Honduran green-card holder living in Winnetka, was arrested and charged with falsely claiming U.S. citizenship to register to vote in California. He entered the U.S. in 2002 and is not a citizen-he has never applied for citizenship. Rivera submitted a voter registration form claiming U.S. citizenship, despite evidence that he was born in Honduras. Prosecutors found he did not actually vote. This case is part of a broader effort to address voter fraud, with officials pointing out that California&#8217;s easy registration process may enable non-citizens to falsely register and receive ballots. Rivera has a criminal history involving immigration-related issues and threats against federal agents. Each felony charge could lead to up to five years in prison. Authorities emphasize the importance of verifying citizenship beyond just checking a box, and they are considering further investigations into voter rolls to prevent non-citizen participation in elections.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><br \/>\n<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\"><br \/>\n<?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><html><body><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>Federal agents arrested a Honduran green-card holder in the San Fernando Valley Friday and charged him with lying about being a U.S. citizen so he could get on California\u2019s voter rolls.<\/p>\n<p>Darwin Jonathan Rivera Flores, 30, of Winnetka, faces two felony counts: making a false claim of citizenship and fraudulent voter registration, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/usao-cdca\/pr\/honduran-national-living-san-fernando-valley-arrested-federal-criminal-complaint\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">U.S. Attorney\u2019s Office for the Central District of California<\/a> said.<\/p>\n<p>He is a permanent resident who entered the United States in 2002. Prosecutors said he is not a citizen and has never applied to become one.<\/p>\n<p>Investigators said he submitted an online registration dated Nov. 4, 2025, under the name Darwin J. Rivera.<\/p>\n<p>The form included a check mark next to the statement \u201cI am a U.S. citizen,\u201d signed under penalty of perjury, according to the Justice Department.<\/p>\n<p>State and Los Angeles County records listed his birthplace as the United States of America, the complaint said. Officials said that is false.<\/p>\n<p>Prosecutors said they found no record that he actually cast a ballot.<\/p>\n<p>First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli announced the arrest on X and called it the start of a larger effort.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">\ud83d\udea8 Election Fraud Arrests Begin<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>Darwin Jonathan Rivera Flores, 30, of Winnetka, is charged with two felonies and faces\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/XUE8gII4GK\">pic.twitter.com\/XUE8gII4GK<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 F.A. United States Attorney Bill Essayli (@USAttyEssayli) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/USAttyEssayli\/status\/2093354336512593997?\">August 28, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>\u201cToday\u2019s arrest is the first of many to come,\u201d Essayli said in the Justice Department release. \u201cUnfortunately, because states like California allow non-citizens to easily register to vote and receive a ballot by mail, there\u2019s no telling how many non-citizens are currently registered to vote.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He again asked California to give the Justice Department a full audit of its voter rolls.<\/p>\n<p>Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon, who leads the Civil Rights Division, said noncitizens who commit fraud to get into American elections \u201cshould expect to be prosecuted.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rivera\u2019s file is not limited to the registration form.<\/p>\n<p>In February, prosecutors said, he disrupted an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fewer-than-30k-illegals-were-deported-in-2022\/\" title=\"In 2022, fewer than 30k illegals were deported\">immigration enforcement operation<\/a> at a federal building in Camarillo. He pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor and was placed on probation in connection with that case.<\/p>\n<p>From April into July, officials said, he sent a federal agent text messages that included, \u201cI can\u2019t wait until the mid terms you dont have qualified immunity then we can start and indict all you guys one by one,\u201d according to the office.<\/p>\n<p>Homeland Security Investigations is handling the case. Each count carries a statutory maximum of five years in federal prison if he is convicted.<\/p>\n<p>California automatically mails ballots to registered voters and has made it easy to get on the list through motor-vehicle and online systems. Citizenship is supposed to be a requirement. Checking a box is not the same as proving it.<\/p>\n<p>That is the gap Essayli is pointing at.<\/p>\n<p>Federal law is clear that only citizens may vote in federal elections. A state that treats a checkbox as enough verification invites exactly this kind of case.<\/p>\n<p>Whether Rivera\u2019s registration is an isolated (alleged) lie or a sample of a dirty roll is what an audit would test.<\/p>\n<p>Until California opens the books, prosecutors will keep bringing the cases they can prove \u2014 one complaint at a time.<\/p>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #171717; display: flex;font-size: 16px;font-weight: 600;line-height: 1.5;margin: 24px 0;padding: 18px 20px 18px 30px;text-align: left;\">\n<div style=\"align-self: stretch;border-left: 3px solid #171717;flex-shrink: 0;padding-left: 20px;\"><\/div>\n<p><a style=\"text-decoration: none;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/\">Choose The Western Journal as your preferred source on Google and never miss reporting that defends truth, protects freedom, and advances Western civilization<\/a><\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey == typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts = { \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs = [ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i = 0; i < inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]] = document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display = 'block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display = 'none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src = firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display = 'inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id'] = firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting = jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display = 'none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display = 'block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/body><\/html><\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Federal agents detained a Honduran green-card holder in San Fernando Valley on Friday, accusing him of falsely claiming U.S. citizenship to register to vote in California. Darwin Jonathan Rivera Flores, 30, from Winnetka, is charged with two felonies: submitting a false citizenship claim and engaging in fraudulent voter registration, according to the U.S. Attorney\u2019s Office for the Central District of California. He has been a permanent resident since 2002 but has never applied for U.S. citizenship. Authorities stated he submitted an online voter registration form on November 4, 2025, under the name Darwin J. Rivera, falsely indicating he was a U.S. citizen and signing under penalty of perjury. State and county records listed his birthplace as the United States; however, officials confirmed this information was false and found no record of him voting. First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli announced the arrest via X (formerly Twitter), emphasizing that this marks the beginning of broader efforts against election fraud.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cToday\u2019s arrest is just the start,\u201d said Essayli in a Justice Department statement. \u201cCalifornia\u2019s easy registration process allows non-citizens to sign up and receive ballots by mail-raising concerns about how many non-citizens might be registered.\u201d He called for an audit of California\u2019s voter rolls and reiterated that federal law prohibits non-citizens from voting in federal elections-a checkbox alone does not prove citizenship.<\/p>\n<p>Rivera&#8217;s history includes disrupting an immigration enforcement operation at a federal building in Camarillo last February; he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor related to that incident and was placed on probation. Between April and July, he reportedly sent threatening text messages to federal agents about midterm elections.<\/p>\n<p>Homeland Security Investigations is handling his case; each felony count carries up to five years in prison if convicted. California&#8217;s system makes it easy for residents to register through online or motor vehicle records-yet only citizens are legally permitted to vote federally-a gap prosecutors aim to address through ongoing investigations into potential widespread voter roll inaccuracies until comprehensive audits are conducted<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2651429,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Election-arrest.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[5175,4045,7076,38778,26974],"class_list":["post-2651428","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-arrest","tag-california","tag-doj","tag-election-laws","tag-foreigner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Election-arrest.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2651428","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2651428"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2651428\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2651441,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2651428\/revisions\/2651441"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2651429"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2651428"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2651428"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2651428"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}