Honduran anti-ICE agitator snared on voter fraud fees as feds begins crackdown

A Honduran agitator arrested earlier this 12 months at an anti-ICE protest in Southern California was busted by the Homeland Safety brokers Friday on fees of illegally registering to vote — a part of a crackdown on suspected election fraud in California.

Darwin Jonathan Rivera Flores, 30, a Honduran nationwide dwelling within the San Fernando Valley, is accused of two felonies associated to his false claims of US citizenship to finish voter registration varieties, prosecutors say.

Rivera Flores’ early-morning arrest outdoors a health-care middle in Ventura is just the start of a warfare on suspected election fraud that has the complete assist of Washington, stated LA’s prime federal prosecutor Invoice Essayli.

“At this time’s arrest is the primary of many to come back,” he stated of the case.

“States like California permit non-citizens to simply register to vote and obtain a poll by mail,” he added. “There’s no telling what number of non-citizens are at present registered to vote.”

The arrest of Rivera Flores, a noncitizen however lawful everlasting resident of the US, comes as federal brokers chase a slew of suspect election fraud circumstances in Los Angeles revealed by The California Submit. They embody an investigation into an alleged pay-for-vote scheme in Skid Row, the place The California Submit noticed brokers interviewing homeless who could have participated.

Throughout California’s drawn-out major election in June, a federal prosecutor visited the LA County poll processing facility, at some point after President Trump stated the state’s voting course of was “beneath investigation” by the US Lawyer’s Workplace.

Assistant US Lawyer Robert Renner toured LA’s poll counting middle amid outrage over the glacial tempo of vote counting.

When The Submit visited the voting workplace, rows of workstations sat empty.

Essayli stated he is at present pursuing a number of election fraud investigations in coordination with the FBI and different businesses. His workplace was behind the arrest of Rivera, who faces fees of falsely claiming US citizenship and fraudulent voter registration.  

On Friday, the Submit was there as brokers surrounded Rivera Flores outdoors his work and took him into custody.

Officers with swooped on the noncitizen and positioned him in cuffs earlier than taking him away in a grey van for processing.

“I didn’t do nothing,” he stated. “That is abuse.”

He’s anticipated to look in federal courtroom Friday afternoon in downtown Los Angeles.

Courtroom information say Rivera Flores was born in Honduras and entered the US in 2002.  Though he’s right here legally, prosecutors say he’s not a citizen, which is a requirement for voting in federal and native elections.

In February, Rivera Flores attended an anti-ICE protest in Camarillo, the place he bodily disrupted immigration regulation enforcement operations at a federal constructing. He pled responsible and was positioned on one 12 months of probation.

In April, Rivera Flores started sending a sequence of textual content messages to a federal agent whereas hurling curses, calling the agent a b—ch and insulting him.  

“Cease hurting my folks,” he wrote. “Inform your folks to behave like people.”

In a single message, Rivera indicated he can be voting within the upcoming midterms.

“I can’t wait till the mid phrases you dont have certified immunity then we will begin and indict all you guys one bye [sic] one,” he wrote.  

Regulation enforcement investigated and found a web-based voter registration file within the title of “Darwin Rivera” related together with his Winnetka deal with. Brokers additionally obtained a voter registration software with Rivera Flores’ signature and a voter registration receipt.

Underneath the appliance query of “Did somebody provide help to fill out this type” Rivera Flores’ reply was “no,” and a examine mark was added subsequent to the appliance wording “I’m a U.S. citizen.” He used his driver’s license as identification to register.

There isn’t any file of Rivera in search of or acquiring US citizenship. He additionally has not voted in an election.

Essayli stated that California’s lax voter registration legal guidelines invite fraud by permitting folks to register to vote with no ID and to solid ballots with unofficial identification equivalent to fitness center identification playing cards, insurance coverage playing cards and utility payments.

As a result of the state doesn’t share its voter rolls with the feds, authorities are unable to evaluate whether or not those that register are literally US residents. Individuals who need to vote in California can merely register on-line.

A spokesperson for the California Sate Division, which oversees elections, stated anybody registered to vote should attest, beneath penalty of perjury, that they’re a US Citizen and never in any other case ineligible to vote. 

When an individual registers, their id is verified via a comparability with knowledge from the California Division of Motor Automobiles and the Social Safety Administration, the spokesperson added.

Roughly 98% p.c of all registered voters in California embody a driver’s license or the final 4 numbers of their Social Safety quantity when registering to vote. 

However driver’s licenses and Social Safety numbers could also be issued to non-citizens, Essayli stated, including the state is popping a blind eye to the query of whether or not or not voters truly possess citizenship.

“California allowed him to be an energetic registered voter right here understanding full effectively that hes not a citizen,” Essayli stated of Rivera Flores. “He’s dealing with two felonies and now, upon conviction, he’s additionally dealing with deportation.”

California is house to roughly 5 million non-US residents. It’s unclear what number of of them are registered to vote.

The state has refused to share voter data with the federal authorities.

“They won’t give us the voter rolls, so we will examine them to guarantee that solely residents are on there,” Essayli.  

In an try to power California and different states to share voter rolls, President Trump this month moved to limit mail-in ballots in states that refuse to submit voter data into a web-based portal run by the US Postal Service.

A federal choose on Thursday briefly prohibited the Postal Service from finishing up the plan, saying it appeared to overstep the company’s authorized mandate and will spark chaos by altering guidelines fewer than 70 days earlier than an election.

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