Feds Charge 12 More California Noncitizens With Voting on Election Eve

Federal prosecutors in California announced charges against a dozen more noncitizens on Monday, accusing them of casting ballots they had no right to cast, just one day before voters head to the polls in the midterm elections.

In Los Angeles, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said six foreign nationals living in the Antelope and San Fernando valleys registered to vote, voted in U.S. elections, and then made false statements on their applications to become naturalized citizens, according to a post from the office on X. KESQ reported that all six are lawful permanent residents, or green card holders, who allegedly claimed U.S. citizenship when they registered and then voted in elections between 2020 and 2024, with additional alleged voting activity in 2026.

Six additional foreign nationals residing in the Antelope and San Fernando valleys of Los Angeles County who registered to vote and voted in U.S. elections charged with making false statements on their forms to become naturalized U.S. citizens https://t.co/dADExLCFJM

— US Attorney L.A. (@USAO_LosAngeles) November 2, 2026

According to KESQ, investigators allege that each of the six later denied on naturalization paperwork that they had ever claimed citizenship or registered to vote. Each faces up to five years in federal prison if convicted, the station reported, and five of the defendants were scheduled to make initial appearances in federal court in Los Angeles following the announcement.

Homeland Security Investigations Los Angeles is leading the case, KESQ reported. “Together, we remain committed to upholding the rule of law, protecting our citizens, and safeguarding the integrity of our nation’s elections,” HSI Los Angeles Special Agent in Charge Erin Burke said in a video statement shared by the Department of Homeland Security on X.

Six more in the Central Valley

Separately, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California announced charges Monday against six other noncitizens accused of illegally voting in the November 2024 presidential election, KCRA reported. Those accused include women living in Sacramento, Turlock and Vallejo, according to KCRA, and one defendant is also accused of voting in the November 2022 midterm election.

“The right to vote is one of the most fundamental of those privileges, and its theft by noncitizens will be prosecuted,” U.S. Attorney Eric Grant said in a statement quoted by KCRA. If convicted, those defendants would face a maximum of one year in prison and a fine of up to $100,000, the station reported.

A growing federal operation

The Los Angeles charges are part of Operation Protect the Vote, a coordinated effort by all four California-based U.S. Attorney’s Offices, according to an October 19 Justice Department release. In that first wave, the department said 28 lawful permanent residents were charged and 11 were arrested across the state.

With Monday’s Los Angeles case, the Justice Department says 34 people have now been charged under the operation, according to KESQ.

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli renewed his call for California officials to work with federal authorities to verify voter eligibility, KESQ reported. When the first arrests were announced in October, Essayli said in the department’s release that “California is mailing ballots to noncitizens, and they are refusing to comply with federal law, which makes it a crime for noncitizens to vote.”

The new charges come the same day the Justice Department asked the U.S. Supreme Court to stop California election officials from counting more than 20,000 ballots from people the federal government suspects may be noncitizens, KESQ reported.

All of the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court. The charges are allegations made in criminal complaints.

Sources

• U.S. Attorney’s Office, Los Angeles, on X
• Department of Homeland Security on X
• KESQ
• KCRA
• U.S. Department of Justice, Oct. 19 release

Reporting by Daily Beltway.