Federal authorities charged 28 lawful permanent residents in California with alleged election crimes Monday, including fraudulent voter registration, illegal voting and false statements in naturalization paperwork. Eleven were arrested, while the remaining defendants were expected to be taken into custody. The cases were brought through all four California-based U.S. Attorneys’ offices under an operation called Protect the Vote.
The Justice Department said most defendants allegedly registered by falsely claiming to be U.S. The charges also include alleged lies on applications or interviews for naturalization. Some felony counts carry maximum sentences of five years, while voting-by-an-alien charges carry a statutory maximum of one year.
Federal filings include allegations that one defendant voted in four elections beginning in 2020, while others allegedly voted in the 2022, 2024 or 2026 elections. The Justice Department said all 28 defendants are green card holders, who may legally live and work in the United States but cannot vote in federal elections. The allegations have not been proven, and all defendants are presumed innocent.
The arrests came days after the federal government sued California over more than 20,000 people it identified as likely noncitizens on the state’s voter rolls. That lawsuit seeks to prevent officials from counting mail ballots associated with the flagged voters until their citizenship is verified. Federal authorities say California sends ballots to every registered voter and failed to review the list or set aside ballots; California officials have resisted the demand, citing insufficient evidence and the risk of disenfranchising eligible voters.
Acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter said the prosecutions showed why the federal lawsuit was necessary. Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn called the arrests an attempt to intimidate voters and undermine confidence in the election.
The California cases now place criminal prosecutions alongside the federal lawsuit and the state’s ongoing election preparations, leaving the courts to decide how officials should handle ballots linked to the broader list of suspected noncitizens.