Federal raid arrests Belizean voter fraud suspect as DOJ targets thousands in California
Federal agents arrested a 72-year-old Belizean man in Los Angeles and issued warrants for dozens of other suspected non-citizens accused of illegal voting in California elections.
Federal law-enforcement agencies executed “Operation Protect the Vote” raids in Los Angeles early Monday, taking into custody 72-year-old Belizean national Alexander Muñoz after he allegedly registered to vote in 2019 while falsely claiming U.S. citizenship and cast ballots in 2020, 2022 and 2024. Investigators also issued warrants for more than two dozen other foreign nationals accused of similar fraud. The operation follows a Department of Justice lawsuit that ordered California officials to examine a list of over 20,000 suspected non-citizen voters ahead of the upcoming midterm election, a step Governor Gavin Newsom called an attempt to suppress voters.
Acting Deputy Attorney General R. Trent McCotter warned state officials of legal challenges if they failed to comply. U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche labeled state-facilitated voter fraud “unacceptable,” while Los Angeles federal prosecutor Bill Essayli said the arrests confirm their concerns about illegal voting in California.
Why it matters
The arrests and DOJ lawsuit intensify a federal-state battle over election integrity and could affect voter rolls before the midterms.
In this story
Related stories
6 in this thread