Local election officials claimed that Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco’s investigation into election fraud was unfounded.
Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco was ordered by the California Supreme Court on April 8 to halt his investigation into 2025 election fraud allegations so the judges can review the legal challenges that his probe faces.
Bianco, a Republican who is running for California governor, seized more than half a million 2025 election ballots after allegedly receiving complaints from locals. Then, last month he seized an additional 1,000 boxes of election materials.
Local election officials told the county Board of Supervisors that his decision to take the ballots was unfounded.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta, a Democrat, asked the court to step in and stop the investigation, saying that Bianco did not have authority to take the ballots.
Bianco seized another 426 boxes of ballots last week.
The top court ordered Bianco and his team to “pause the investigation into the November 2025 special election and preserve all seized items.”
“Today’s decision by the California Supreme Court reins in the destabilizing actions of a rogue Sheriff, prohibiting him from continuing this investigation while our litigation continues,” Bonta said in a statement.
The Epoch Times has contacted Bianco’s office for comment.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
By Jacki Thrapp
