Six more charged in Los Angeles County noncitizen voting investigation

LOS ANGELES, CA (KESQ)- Six additional foreign nationals living in Los Angeles County face federal charges for allegedly registering to vote illegally, casting ballots in California elections, and later lying about their voting histories on U.S. naturalization applications, according to the Department of Justice.

The charges are part of Operation Protect the Vote, an ongoing federal investigation into alleged election violations involving noncitizens in California.

According to federal prosecutors, the defendants are all lawful permanent residents (green card holders), the defendants allegedly claimed U.S. citizenship when registering to vote and subsequently cast ballots in various elections between 2020 and 2024, with additional alleged voting activity reported in 2026.

Investigators further allege that each defendant denied previously claiming U.S. citizenship or registering to vote when completing naturalization paperwork.

With these latest charges, the Department of Justice says 34 individuals have now been charged under Operation Protect the Vote.

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli renewed calls for California officials to work with federal authorities to verify voter eligibility. Homeland Security Investigations Los Angeles is leading the investigation.

This comes after the Justice Department today asked the U.S. Supreme Court to weigh in and stop California election officials from counting more than 20,000 ballots from people the federal government suspects may be non-citizens.

The defendants are charged with making false statements on naturalization applications. If convicted, each faces a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison.

Five defendants were scheduled to make their initial appearances in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles following the announcement.

The cases are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Wheat and Minjae Kim.