U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli launches multiple election fraud investigations in California

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli, the top federal prosecutor for the Central District of California, announced on Friday that his office has opened “multiple election fraud investigations” in California, coordinated with the FBI and the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division. In a post on X he wrote, “We will follow the evidence wherever it leads and prosecute any violations of federal election law to the fullest extent,” but provided no details about the specific elections under scrutiny.

A federal prosecutor visited Los Angeles County’s ballot‑processing center, received an overview of the public observation program and took part in a walkthrough of the ballot‑handling operations. Essayli cited “serious structural vulnerabilities” in California’s universal vote‑by‑mail system, noting the lack of voter‑ID requirements. He also referenced a recent case in which a Marina del Rey woman allegedly paid homeless people to register to vote, a matter now before the Ninth Circuit.

The announcement followed President Donald Trump’s unsubstantiated claims of mass fraud in the state’s drawn‑out primary count. State officials, including Secretary of State Shirley Weber, defended the lengthy mail‑ballot count as lawful and noted that California law allows up to 30 days for a final canvass. Republican candidates such as gubernatorial hopeful Steve Hilton called for sweeping election‑law reforms, while the DOJ investigation proceeds.