No evidence of election fraud for man found with 300 California recall election ballots, police say
Over 300 California recall election ballots discovered in suspect's vehicle
Torrance Police recovered more than 300 unopened California recall election ballots inside the vehicle of a suspect who was found passed out in his car at a 7-Eleven parking lot, along with a gun and drugs, authorities said Monday.
TORRANCE, Calif. - The Torrance Police Department revealed its findings after investigating a man who was found passed out inside a car with more than 300 unopened California recall election ballots over the summer.
Torrance PD announced in a press release Tuesday that after months of investigating the man, 34-year-old Eduardo Mena, investigators were not able to find any evidence suggesting that Mena was looking to engage in any type of election fraud. Police said they went through "multiple pieces of electronic evidence and physical evidence" to see if Mena was looking to rig any part of the election.
On the other hand, Torrance PD did say Mena may have instead been involved in schemes to commit bank fraud and identity theft.
Get your top stories delivered daily! Sign up for FOX 11’s Fast 5 newsletter. And, get breaking news alerts in the FOX 11 News app. Download for iOS or Android.
Back in late August, Torrance PD recovered the unopened ballots, a loaded gun, Xanax pills, methamphetamine, thousands of pieces of mail, a scale and multiple California driver's licenses and credit cards in other individuals’ names. Authorities said at the time of Mena's arrest that those impacted by Mena holding their ballots would get a new election ballot.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Over 300 California recall election ballots discovered in suspect's vehicle alongside gun, drugs
Mena is currently in state custody over a different case, Torrance PD said.
Below is the press release from Torrance PD regarding the investigation:
Tune in to FOX 11 Los Angeles for the latest Southern California news.