- Two Indian nationals have been charged with election fraud in California.
- They allegedly registered themselves as voters and cast ballots in the November 2024 US elections.
- They are among 28 green card holders facing charges in the case.
Two Indian nationals have been charged with election fraud in California after allegedly registering as voters and casting ballots in the November 2024 US elections, the US Department of Justice said on Monday. They are among 28 green card holders facing charges in the case.
The two have been named as Amandeep Kaur, 30, and Kamlesh Shah, 67.
11 Arrested in Early Morning Raids
Of the 28 people charged, 11 were arrested in early morning raids across California as part of ‘Operation Protect the Vote’, an effort aimed at cracking down on election fraud and safeguarding the integrity of US elections. It was not immediately clear whether Kaur and Shah were among those taken into custody.
According to the Justice Department, Shah, who lives in Sacramento, allegedly registered to vote on the day of the November 2024 general election and cast his ballot the same day.
Kaur, a resident of Rancho Palos Verdes who is seeking US citizenship, allegedly registered in December 2022 and later voted in the November 2024 election.
The Justice Department made it clear that all 28 people charged are lawful permanent residents, better known as green card holders. While they are legally allowed to live in the US, they are not citizens and cannot vote in federal elections.
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What Did The Justice Dept Say?
"All 28 foreign nationals charged are lawful permanent residents (LPRs), or 'green card' holders. Although LPRs have legal immigration status in the United States, they are not US citizens and are not permitted to vote in US elections," the Justice Department said.
What Charges Were Made Against 28 Green Card Holders?
The charges include allegedly making false statements in naturalisation applications. Some of the defendants also face accusations of fraudulent voter registration. Both offences are felonies and carry a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison.
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"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," Acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter told reporters in Los Angeles.
Before Monday’s announcement, the Justice Department had already charged around 90 people this year with different forms of election-related misconduct. Of those, 50 were accused of voting even though they were not US citizens.
The charges come against the backdrop of the 2024 US presidential election, which saw more than 227 million registered voters across the country.