One of 11 arrested in California voter fraud crackdown speaks out

LOS ANGELES - One of the 11 people arrested in a federal voter fraud crackdown is speaking out, denying he registered to vote as California pushes back against the Trump administration’s allegations of widespread problems with the state’s voter rolls.

Omar Muñoz, 72, is among 28 people charged across California in a federal investigation dubbed "Operation Protect the Vote." Federal prosecutors allege the defendants illegally registered to vote or committed other election-related crimes. Some are accused of casting ballots in federal elections.

Muñoz, a Belize-born lawful permanent resident, is accused of registering to vote in Los Angeles County in 2019 and voting in four elections, according to federal charging documents.

But when FOX 11 asked him whether he remembered registering to vote, he denied it.

"No, I didn’t register to vote," Muñoz said. Asked whether he had ever voted, he again answered no.

"I looked around and said, ‘I’m not a killer,’" Muñoz said, describing his reaction to the arrest.

He also suggested someone may have used his identity, pointing to a possible case involving his name and Social Security number.

"Somebody was working at the chocolate factory with my Social Security and my name, so I know what can happen," he said.

Asked whether someone could have voted using his name, Muñoz replied, "Could be."

FOX 11 also visited four other homes connected to the operation. At one home, a person who answered the door said the person accused in the case was not there and claimed she had never registered to vote or was unaware of any registration.

Federal voter roll lawsuit intensifies dispute

The arrests come as the U.S. Department of Justice is suing California over access to voter registration records, escalating a broader fight over election security ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections.

Federal officials say more than 20,000 people on California’s voter rolls may be noncitizens. The Justice Department has sought to have ballots associated with those individuals set aside while their citizenship status is verified.

California officials have challenged the federal government’s claims and resisted the effort, raising concerns about the accuracy of the list and the potential disenfranchisement of eligible voters.

On Tuesday, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli pushed back against criticism of the federal investigation, posting excerpts from a court filing that he described as a "massive concession."

Essayli highlighted Los Angeles County’s statement that its registrar is "not equipped or authorized to verify voter citizenship" beyond the information voters attest to when registering.

But other excerpts from the filing raised questions about the accuracy of the federal list.

According to the county’s review, nearly 40% of a sample of 200 records from the federal list involved people who indicated they were born in the United States.

Federal officials have argued that the allegations demonstrate a need for closer scrutiny of California’s voter registration system. State officials maintain that the cases do not establish widespread voter fraud.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta has said the 28 people charged represent a tiny fraction of the state’s roughly 23 million registered voters and that the federal government has not demonstrated widespread fraud.

For Muñoz, the case has left him questioning whether he has become part of a larger political fight.

"Politics is a nice chess game if you know how to play," he said. "Unfortunately, they used me as one of their props."