Election fraud probes in California announced by US Attorney amid rising tensions over slow vote count
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli announced Friday that his office has opened multiple election fraud investigations in coordination with the FBI.
Shortly afterward, Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Renner was observed inside L.A. County’s central processing center, where hundreds of thousands of ballots remain uncounted, asking questions and monitoring operations. A worker who identified as being with California AG Bonta’s office was also present.
The announcement came immediately after President Donald Trump alleged Democrats were trying to steal California primary races through slow ballot counting.
Essayli said that “protecting the integrity of California’s elections is a top priority for my office” and cited “serious structural vulnerabilities” in the state’s universal vote-by-mail system.
He also confirmed his office is working with Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon to audit California’s voter rolls, an issue currently before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
While declining to discuss specifics of the active investigations, Essayli pointed to a case last month in which a Marina del Rey woman was charged with allegedly paying people, including unhoused individuals on Skid Row, to register to vote.
