Bill Essayli slams Gavin Newsom for taking credit for fraud busts<\/h4>\n
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli criticizes California Gov. Gavin Newsom for claiming credit for recent fraud crackdowns. Essayli highlights Newsom’s prior dismissal of fraud and his administration’s refusal to implement a state auditor’s recommended fraud prevention regulations. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
NEW<\/span>You can now listen to Fox News articles!\n <\/p>\n<\/div>\n The first arrest in what a Trump administration prosecutor says will be a broader election fraud crackdown was announced Friday in Los Angeles, and the White House seized on the case to hit back at longtime critics.<\/p>\n First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California Bill Essayli announced a Honduran national was charged with two felony counts and could face deportation if convicted, while criticizing California\u2019s current voter registration safeguards and renewing DOJ demands for a voter roll audit.\u00a0<\/p>\n “Today\u2019s 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\u2019s no telling how many non-citizens are currently registered to vote,” Essayli said in a statement announcing the capture of Darwin Jonathan Rivera Flores.<\/p>\n CALIFORNIA ACCUSED OF BLOCKING FEDERAL VOTER ROLL AUDIT AS DOJ ESCALATES PROBE OF ELECTION FRAUD CLAIMS<\/strong><\/p>\n Darwin Flores, center, is arrested in California as part of the federal government’s voter integrity operations.<\/span> (Credit: Office of Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n “We again renew our request that California immediately comply with our requests to audit their voter rolls so that all voters can have confidence in our elections.”<\/p>\n Fox News Digital reached out to Gov. Gavin Newsom for comment.<\/p>\n Rivera Flores, of the Winnetka neighborhood west of Van Nuys, was charged with fraudulent voter registration and false claim of U.S. citizenship. He did not vote in an election, according to the DOJ.\u00a0<\/p>\n Rivera Flores entered the U.S. during the George W. Bush administration and was a green card holder, but was not a U.S. citizen, according to an affidavit.<\/p>\n FOUR NONCITIZENS CHARGED WITH ILLEGALLY VOTING IN 2020, 2022 AND 2024 FEDERAL ELECTIONS IN NEW JERSEY<\/strong><\/p>\n Bill Essayli, first assistant U.S. attorney for the Central District of California, answered questions during a news conference outside the San Bernardino County Sheriff\u2019s Department April 10, 2026, in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.<\/span> (Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Sun\/ via Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n He was previously charged with a misdemeanor for “disrupting immigration law enforcement operations” at a federal building in Camarillo, California, and sentenced to one year of probation.<\/p>\n Rivera Flores also allegedly sent a Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agent a slew of taunting text messages, calling the officer “not the good guy” and saying he could not “wait until the midterms” because he believed the agent would not have qualified immunity, legal protection that can shield law enforcement officers from certain civil claims arising from their official conduct.<\/p>\n Text messages between Rivera Flores and the agent reviewed by Fox News show several profane jabs directed at the officer, including, “How you f—ing treat people … that\u2019s not f—ing protecting, you\u2019re hurting these people,” and, “Chris, you know you\u2019re a b—-, right.”<\/p>\n CLICK BELOW TO READ THE AFFIDAVIT<\/strong><\/p>\n Rivera Flores obtained the agent\u2019s number after the agent unblocked it on his government-issued phone to contact him during an investigation, according to the affidavit.<\/p>\n The White House said Rivera Flores\u2019 case indicates mainstream media and political critics are off base in their countervailing reporting and allegations about the existence of voter fraud.<\/p>\n “Despite the media and Democrats claiming it never happens, the evidence of noncitizens registering to vote in our elections continues to pile up,” White House spokeswoman Lauren Bis told Fox News Digital.<\/p>\n “Any non-citizens found registering to vote and voting in our elections will be held accountable. Only Americans should be electing American leaders.”<\/p>\n WATCH: TRUMP DOJ VOWS TO PURSUE \u2018EVERY SINGLE\u2019 VOTING VIOLATION AFTER NJ ROLL SHOCKER<\/strong><\/p>\n CNN HOST ADMITS HE WAS WRONG TO SAY ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT VOTING ‘NEVER HAPPENS’ AFTER NEW JERSEY ERROR<\/strong><\/p>\n Essayli said the case bolsters the DOJ\u2019s demand that California comply with Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon\u2019s request for a comprehensive voter roll audit.<\/p>\n Dhillon said in a statement that noncitizens who “commit fraud so they can vote in American elections” violate federal law and should expect to be prosecuted.<\/p>\n “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.”<\/p>\n SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER<\/strong><\/p>\n Californians will decide in November whether to impose additional voter ID and citizenship-verification requirements. Under current law, people registering to vote must state, under penalty of perjury, that they are U.S. citizens and provide identifying information.\u00a0<\/p>\n The initiative is being led by state Sen. Tony Strickland, R-Huntington Beach, and Assemblyman Carl DeMaio, R-San Diego.<\/p>\n CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP<\/strong><\/p>\n Fox News\u2019 Matt Finn contributed to this report.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n![\"Darwin](\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1200\/675\/rivera-voter-arrest.jpg?ve=1&tl=1\")
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