Vote fraud: 2 Indian green card holders arrested in California
Los Angeles: Two Indian nationals are among 28 green card holders charged with election fraud in California over alleged illegal voter registration and voting in the November 2024 US elections, according to reports. The reports were based on information from the US Department of Justice.
The accused Indians have been identified as Amandeep Kaur and Kamlesh Shah. According to the department, Shah, a Sacramento resident, allegedly registered to vote on the day of the 2024 general election and cast a ballot. Kaur, who lives in Rancho Palos Verdes and is seeking US citizenship, allegedly registered in December 2022 and voted in the November 2024 election.
All 28 defendants are lawful permanent residents, or green card holders, who are legally permitted to reside in the US but are not eligible to vote in federal elections. It was not immediately clear whether Kaur and Shah were among the 11 people arrested during early-morning raids across California as part of Operation Protect the Vote, an initiative targeting alleged election fraud.
The charges include making false statements in naturalisation applications and fraudulent voter registration. The offences are felonies carrying maximum sentences of five years in federal prison.
Acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter said all 28 defendants appeared on a list of more than 20,000 suspected non-citizen registrants recently provided to California election officials.
The latest cases form part of a wider federal crackdown on alleged electoral misconduct. Before Monday’s announcement, the Justice Department had charged around 90 people with various election-related offences this year, including 50 accused of voting as non-citizens.
The allegations come despite the US having more than 227 million registered voters during the 2024 presidential election.