Justice Department Charges 28 Foreign Nationals in California for Fraudulent Voter Registration and Illegal Voting
REDDING — Federal prosecutors announced Monday that 28 foreign nationals living in California have been charged with federal election crimes, including fraudulently registering to vote and, in many cases, casting ballots in U.S. elections. Federal authorities arrested 11 of the defendants that same day as part of a coordinated statewide effort called “Operation Protect the Vote.”
All 28 defendants are lawful permanent residents — green card holders — who are not U.S. citizens and therefore not eligible to vote in federal elections. Charges include making false statements on naturalization applications and fraudulent voter registration, both felonies that carry a maximum of five years in federal prison. Some face additional charges for voting by a noncitizen.
According to the Department of Justice, the defendants knowingly claimed under oath on voter registration forms that they were U.S. citizens. Many of those applications were approved, and numerous defendants then voted in the 2020, 2022, and 2024 elections. They later lied again on naturalization paperwork, denying they ever claimed citizenship or voted. The defendants are spread across California’s Central, Eastern, Northern, and Southern federal districts. Examples include a Belizean man in Commerce who voted in multiple elections after registering in 2019; an Indian national in Rancho Palos Verdes who registered in 2022 and voted in 2024; and several Mexican, Guatemalan, Salvadoran, and other nationals across the state who followed similar patterns.
The charges form part of “Operation Protect the Vote,” a joint effort by all four California-based U.S. Attorney’s Offices to investigate and prosecute noncitizen voting. Homeland Security Investigations is also involved.
Acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter underscored the stakes: “Every illegal vote cancels out the vote of a lawful American citizen. Each of the 28 defendants charged today appears on the list of more than 20,000 likely noncitizen registrants we provided to California election officials last week. California refused to look at that list. Today’s charges show exactly what that refusal puts at risk. California must verify the citizenship of those more than 20,000 registrants before mail-in ballots are counted.”
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli was equally direct: “Today’s arrests prove what we have been saying. California is mailing ballots to noncitizens, and they are refusing to comply with federal law, which makes it a crime for noncitizens to vote. The voting rights of American citizens must be protected.”
Homeland Security Investigations Acting Executive Associate Director John A. Condon added that HSI “is committed to protecting the integrity of our nation’s electoral process by investigating allegations of criminal conduct that undermine public confidence in our elections,” and that the agency will continue working with partners “to pursue those who knowingly violate federal law.”
On October 13, federal authorities sent California a list of more than 20,000 likely noncitizen registrants and asked the state to set aside their vote-by-mail ballots pending citizenship verification. California declined. The United States then filed a lawsuit seeking a court order to prevent the dilution of citizen votes.
All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Complaints and indictments contain only accusations.
The cases arrive amid ongoing local debates in Shasta County over election integrity, including Measure B and disputes over ballot handling, voter rolls, and chain of custody at the Registrar of Voters. Federal action documenting noncitizen registration and voting statewide adds context to those North State concerns: California’s resistance to basic citizenship verification continues even after authorities have identified and charged specific individuals.
