Federal agents busted a California voter fraud network earlier this week.
Posted by Ask Dr. Drew, Checked
- Sources
- 5 support1 context
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 80%
Ask Dr. DrewOct 21, 2026
Federal agents arrested 11 people and charged 28 California residents on Monday, October 19, 2026, in a statewide sweep called 'Operation Protect the Vote', which is consistent with 'earlier this week' as of the October 21 post.
The host relays this claim without endorsing it. It counts as passed on, not against the post.
What was said
… New report claims that the Trump Homeland Security force asked cybersecurity agents who secretly acquired a voting machine and hacked it, but hackable voting machines are fake news, according to everyone in the press, so no concerns there. Another report from New York Post says federal agents busted a California voter fraud network earlier this week, but fraud is, of course, fake news, so we can't talk about it. Well, the weird thing that's happened is, you are talking about it. …
Ask Dr. Drew · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Supports. AP reports federal authorities charged more than two dozen foreign nationals on Monday, October 19, in a statewide California sweep targeting alleged illegal voter registration and voting.[1]
Supports. Bloomberg and Washington Examiner report that federal agents arrested 11 people and charged 28 in California voter fraud cases on October 19, and the Sacramento Bee timeline lists the same October 19 charges.[3][4][5]
Supports. The New York Post describes the Monday operation as a 'voter fraud ring' bust in which federal agents collared suspects, which is the source of the 'network' wording.[2]
Context. The charges are allegations that have not been adjudicated, and AP notes that noncitizen voting is rare and has not been shown to change outcomes. A later judge's injunction on related DHS probes does not change that the arrests and charges occurred.[1][6]
Sources
6 sources: 1 fact-checker, 1 tier 3, 4 not rated
- 1Justice Department charges more than 2 dozen in ...apnews.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports, context
- 2Exclusive | Inside the biggest voter fraud bust in California’s history — as network of 28 democracy-defying cons are snarednypost.com · tier 3 · cited for: supports
- 3US Agents Arrest 11 in California Over Alleged Illegal Votingnews.bloomberglaw.com · not rated · cited for: supports
- 4Federal voter fraud arrests intensify in California days after ...washingtonexaminer.com · not rated · cited for: supports
- 5Timeline of the Trump-California noncitizen voting fight ...sacbee.com · not rated · cited for: supports
- 6How the DHS voter-fraud probe reached San Diego’s registrar ...inewsource.org · not rated · cited for: context
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post
Related claims
- The federal government is conducting enforcement actions related to voter fraud in California.True
- The Justice Department has charged 28 people in California with election crimes.True
- The Department of Justice charged 28 people in California with voting illegally or unlawfully registering to vote in federal elections.True
- The Justice Department charged 28 California residents with federal voting crimes on October 19, 2026.True
- There has been a massive voter fraud bust.True