Six additional foreign nationals living in Los Angeles County have been charged with making false statements on their U.S. citizenship applications after allegedly registering to vote and casting ballots illegally in California elections, federal prosecutors announced Monday.
The six defendants are all lawful permanent residents living in the Antelope and San Fernando valleys and are accused of falsely claiming to be U.S. citizens when registering to vote and later denying those actions on their naturalization applications.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the latest charges bring the total number of defendants to 34 as part of “Operation Protect the Vote,” an ongoing federal investigation into suspected illegal voting by noncitizens in California.
The newly charged defendants include a 43-year-old Philippine citizen from Palmdale, a 31-year-old Mexican national from Palmdale, a 35-year-old Israeli national from West Hills, a 52-year-old Canadian citizen from Agua Dulce, a 35-year-old Iranian national from Canoga Park and a 46-year-old Mexican citizen from Palmdale.
“Today, my office announces criminal charges against six additional noncitizens for unlawfully registering and voting in our elections,” First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said in a statement.
Essayli said all 34 defendants charged in the investigation were included on a list that federal authorities had previously provided to California officials.
He also claimed that thousands of suspected noncitizens remain on California’s voter rolls and urged state officials to cooperate with federal authorities to verify voter eligibility.
However, the Justice Department’s announcement did not provide evidence establishing how many noncitizens are currently registered to vote statewide.
Federal law generally prohibits noncitizens, including lawful permanent residents who hold green cards, from voting in federal elections.
Five of the six defendants were arrested and scheduled to make their initial appearances in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, prosecutors said. The Justice Department did not specify an initial court appearance date for the sixth defendant.
If convicted of making false statements on their naturalization applications, each defendant faces a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison.
