DOJ announces arrests in California voter fraud investigation

LOS ANGELES —(KESQ) — Federal authorities announced the arrest of 11 foreign nationals in California on federal charges alleging voter registration fraud, illegal voting in U.S. elections, and false statements in naturalization applications.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the arrests are part of Operation Protect the Vote, a coordinated effort involving all four California-based U.S. Attorney’s Offices to investigate alleged election-related crimes.

The DOJ states that the defendants are lawful permanent residents, commonly known as green card holders, who are not eligible to vote in federal elections. Court documents allege that some defendants falsely claimed U.S. citizenship on voter registration forms, cast ballots in recent elections, and later misrepresented their voting histories during the naturalization process.

The cases span California’s Central, Eastern, Northern and Southern federal districts. Depending on the charges, defendants face potential penalties ranging from up to one year in prison for certain voting-related misdemeanors to a statutory maximum of five years for specified felony offenses.

The announcement comes amid a dispute between federal officials and California election authorities over a federal list of more than 20,000 individuals identified as likely noncitizen registrants. The DOJ says California declined to assist in setting aside certain mail-in ballots pending citizenship verification. The federal government has filed a lawsuit seeking court intervention.

Federal officials say the investigation is intended to protect election integrity, while Homeland Security Investigations and other agencies continue examining the allegations. California officials have also disputed broader federal claims about noncitizen registrations, saying previous allegations were not supported by sufficient evidence.