Federal Prosecutors: Six Non-Citizens Charged in California Vote Fraud
The Justice Department accuses five residents of Palmdale and one of West Hills of lying on naturalization applications and casting ballots.
By Ivan Mori ·
The U.S. Department of Justice announced on Monday that six non-citizens in California face criminal charges for registering to vote and casting ballots while misrepresenting their status on citizenship applications.
The individuals were identified as a 43-year-old Filipino man and two Mexican citizens, a 31-year-old woman and a 46-year-old man, all residing in Palmdale. The group also includes a 35-year-old Israeli woman from West Hills, a 52-year-old Canadian man from Agua Dulce, and a 35-year-old Iranian man from Canoga Park.
Prosecutors state the arrests are part of Operation Protect the Vote, a federal initiative conducted alongside California federal prosecutors. According to the department, none of the six accused has been found guilty yet.
Bill Essayli, the First Assistant United States Attorney, said his office is filing charges against six more non-citizens who illegally registered and voted. He noted that 34 individuals have been charged under this operation to date and that every name appeared on a list provided to California authorities.
Five of the six defendants have been taken into custody. Their initial appearance is scheduled before the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California in Los Angeles. The Justice Department did not specify a date for the sixth accused's appearance.
The charges include making false statements on naturalization requests. If convicted, each defendant faces a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison.
The DOJ previously announced the arrest of 11 other foreigners on similar charges on October 19. On the same Monday, the Trump administration filed an emergency appeal with the Supreme Court. The government seeks to exclude roughly 20,000 mail-in votes in California pending citizenship verification. A split federal appeals court had earlier denied the request, while California officials argued the federal list is unreliable and likely includes many legitimate citizens.
