Former Stockton City Council candidate Desiree Lynch was arraigned Wednesday on six felony charges, including a newly filed charge of possessing an assault weapon that prosecutors said was found during the search of a north Stockton residence.
Lynch appeared in San Joaquin County Superior Court with her attorney, Allen Sawyer, before Judge Chrishna M. Martinez. Deputy District Attorney Jeff Derman appeared for the prosecution. Lynch did not enter a plea during Wednesday’s hearing.
The San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office had initially charged Lynch with five felonies stemming from allegations that she used addresses where she did not live to register to vote and qualify as a candidate for Stockton City Council District 5.
Prosecutors have now added a sixth felony count of possession of an assault weapon.
According to a DA’s Office news release, investigators seized what prosecutors described as an illegal assault rifle while serving a search warrant at a north Stockton residence during their investigation into Lynch’s residency.
Lynch was arrested on suspicion of of election fraud last month and released on bail a few hours later. She has remained out of jail since then.
Although a new charge was introduced Wednesday, Martinez ruled that Lynch could remain free under the same conditions imposed when she was previously released from custody.
The judge also kept an unlimited search condition in place, with one exception. Sawyer asked that patient medical records Lynch may possess through her work as a nurse be exempt because of privacy protections under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA. Martinez agreed.
The judge, however, did not agree to Sawyer’s request that Lynch be allowed to avoid future court appearances. Martinez ordered her to appear in person at her next hearing, at 8:30 a.m. Oct. 8.
Sawyer and Lynch declined to comment following the arraignment.
The charges against Lynch, who formally withdrew last week from the District 5 race to unseat Councilmember Brando Villapudua, now consist of three counts of perjury; one count of causing, procuring or allowing a false voter registration; one count of filing a false nomination or declaration of candidacy; and one count of possessing an assault weapon.
Prosecutors allege Lynch committed perjury three times — on Nov. 10, 2025, and on Feb. 5 and March 2 of this year — when she signed documents connected to her voter registration and candidacy.
The District Attorney’s Office says Lynch registered to vote and filed paperwork to run for office using addresses where she did not actually live. Investigators determined that Lynch lives outside the District 5 boundaries, according to prosecutors.
The investigation was conducted by the DA’s Office Bureau of Investigations following a referral from the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office.
“Public office demands absolute transparency, and our electoral process relies entirely on the honesty of those who seek to serve,” District Attorney Ron Freitas said in a statement Wednesday. “When a candidate allegedly fabricates their residency to secure a spot on the ballot, they undermine the democratic rights of every single voter in that district.”
While Lynch is no longer running for office, her withdrawal came after the deadline to remove a candidate’s name from the ballot. Because of that, Lynch’s name will remain on the Nov. 3 ballot.
If convicted on all six felony counts, Lynch faces a maximum sentence of seven years and four months in state prison, according to the District Attorney’s Office.