2 in South Arkansas among noncitizens arrested for illegal voting

LITTLE ROCK — Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin announced the arrest of three noncitizens for illegally voting in Arkansas elections.

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, Griffin said. Her perjury charge stems from 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. The election law violation arises from her illegally voting in the 2024 general election despite not being a U.S. citizen.

Zlata Risley, 50, of Hot Springs Village, was arrested and charged with one Class D felony count for violating Arkansas’s election laws. Risley, originally from Kazakhstan, is a lawful permanent resident of the U.S. but is not a citizen. She voted illegally in the 2024 preferential primary.

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 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.

“Investigators in my office have arrested three noncitizens for illegally voting in our elections despite not having the status to do so,” Griffin said. “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.”

Griffin said the investigation began earlier this year when federal officials notified his office about certain voters in Arkansas whose voting records appeared to be incongruent with their citizenship status. Aiding in the investigation was Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Griffin praised the work of the AG Special Investigations Division’s Election Integrity Unit, 19th Judicial District West Prosecuting Attorney Bryan Sexton, 18th Judicial District East Prosecuting Attorney Michelle Lawrence, and 8th Judicial District South Prosecuting Attorney Connie Mitchell.

Secretary of State Cole Jester added the following statement:

“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.”