In what could be a sign of things to come, Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin has announced the arrest of three non-citizens for illegally voting in the 2024 elections. Reacting to the apprehensions of these non-citizens, he emphasized his state’s commitment to election integrity.
For context, the investigation was launched after alerts from federal authorities. One of those arrested, Cecilia Castellanos, a Cuban national, faces perjury and election law violation charges for falsely claiming U.S. citizenship and voting despite prior felony convictions.
In any case, Griffin issued a press release detailing the specifics of these arrests. “Investigators in my office have arrested three noncitizens for illegally voting in our elections despite not having the status to do so. Arkansas’s elections are sound and secure, which is why we deal swiftly and decisively when rare infractions like these come to our attention. I am committed to preserving the integrity of our democratic process,” the AG noted.
Building on this point, the principal public defender noted, “This investigation began earlier this year when federal officials notified us about certain voters in Arkansas whose voting records appeared to be incongruent with their citizenship status. We worked with Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Department of Homeland Security and determined there to be three individuals whose conduct warranted further investigation, which led us to the arrests made this week.”
Describing the alleged criminals, the document stated, “Cecilia Castellanos, 59, of Rogers was arrested and charged with one count of perjury, a Class C felony, and one Class D felony count for violating Arkansas’s election laws. Castellanos is a Cuban national who has a pending order of removal by an immigration judge from 1999. She also has three prior felony convictions in New York state. Her perjury charge stems from her marking on a voter registration form that she was a citizen of the United States and that she did not have any prior felony convictions,” adding, “The election law violation arises from her illegally voting in the 2024 general election despite not being a U.S. citizen.”
Pivoting to another one of the non-citizens arrested, the document continued. “Zlata Risley, 50, of Hot Springs Village was arrested and charged with one Class D felony count for violating Arkansas’s election laws. Risley, who is originally from Kazakhstan, is a lawful permanent resident of the United States but is not a U.S. citizen. She voted illegally in the 2024 preferential primary,” the Arkansas AG stated.
Digging deeper, the release explained how, “Chi Baum, 59, of Texarkana was arrested and charged with one count of perjury, a Class C felony, and one Class D felony count for violating Arkansas’s election laws. Baum, who is originally from Nigeria, is a conditional permanent resident, but she is not a U.S. citizen. Her perjury charge stems from her marking on a voter registration form that she was a citizen of the United States. The election law violation arises from her illegally voting in the 2024 general election despite not being a U.S. citizen.”
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In conclusion, the document noted the purpose of our elections. “American elections are for American citizens. Anything less is totally unacceptable. I am deeply thankful for Attorney General Tim Griffin’s diligent investigation of these crimes, and I am proud to have partnered with his team. We will always fight to keep Arkansas number one in the country for election security,” the release stated.