Twelve Arrested In Orange County Voter Fraud Scheme

[villager]

Twelve Arrested In Orange County (GOP) Voter Fraud Scheme


SANTA ANA, Calif. -- The Orange County District Attorney is expected to reveal details Monday in a case in which 12 people are charged with switching registered Democrats and others to registered Republicans without their consent. Officials were tight-lipped about the arrests, saying more details will be released at a news conference with Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas and California Secretary of State Bruce McPherson.

Republican McPherson is in a close race with Democratic state Sen. Debra Bowen, D-Marina del Rey, who is seeking his job in the Nov. 7 election. Those arrested were paid as much as $10 for each voter they registered as Republicans, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The area includes the district represented by Democratic Rep. Loretta Sanchez, whose opponent, Republican Tan Nguyen, is being investigated separately for a letter his campaign office sent to Hispanic voters telling them it is illegal for immigrants to vote.
The registration fraud cases were filed Tuesday, and at least three of the defendants were arrested on Wednesday and Thursday, according to The Times.

Prosecutors refused to release any information about the defendants, including names and charges, pending Monday's news conference.

Orange County Democratic Party Chairman Frank Barbaro issued a statement commending prosecutors for charging the defendants following a probe into complaints of voter registration fraud filed over the last seven months by the Democratic Party.
"After many months of waiting for action, it is encouraging to see that District Attorney Tony Rackauckas has filed charges relating to over 500 verified complaints of voter registration fraud filed by the Democratic Party," Barbaro said. "It is also encouraging that Republican Party officials and their candidates will join District Attorney Rackauckas on Monday to hear details of these arrests. Hopefully, this is a clear sign that both parties fully support the integrity of our voting processes in Orange County."

County Democratic Party Executive Director Mike Levin said the affected voters were registered by "bounty hunters" paid by the local Republican Party for each new Republican voter they could sign up.

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