Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco halts election fraud probe as legal challenges mount

Source: LA Times

Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, a leading Republican candidate for governor, said Monday that he had paused his controversial investigation into unsubstantiated claims of election fraud, a probe that was facing mounting legal challenges and ethical concerns.

In a statement Monday, Bianco said the probe was “on hold” because of “politically motivated lawsuits and court filings.”

It was a major reversal for the outspoken Trump supporter, who had defended the investigation — and broadened its scope — just last week. Bianco’s employees have seized more than 650,000 ballots cast in Riverside County during November’s election.

Bianco’s attorney, Robert Tyler, said the sheriff had decided to wait for the courts to weigh in on the case before proceeding with the investigation or potentially terminating it, as California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta has requested. Tyler said they were not conceding “that the attorney general has the ability to step in and stop a lawful investigation,” but said the case had brought up complex legal issues, such as competing authority between the executive and legal branches, that need to be addressed.

Read more: https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2026-03-30/riverside-county-sheriff-chad-bianco-halts-his-election-fraud-probe