Ten Noncitizens Indicted in California Voter Fraud Operation, 28 Charged Total
Ten alleged noncitizens were indicted on federal election fraud charges in California's largest voter fraud crackdown. The total number of defendants in the investigation has reached 28.
Ten More Indicted in Sweeping Southern California Voter Fraud Probe
Ten alleged noncitizens were indicted on federal election fraud charges Wednesday, NY Post Metro reports, pushing the total number of defendants in a sprawling Southern California investigation to 28.
The prosecutions stem from what authorities have called Operation Protect the Vote — described as the largest federal crackdown on alleged noncitizen voter registration in California history. Prosecutors accuse the suspects of illegally registering to vote and casting ballots after falsely claiming to be U.S. citizens.
Among those indicted Wednesday was Alexander Muñoz, a Belizean national whose City of Commerce home was raided by Homeland Security Investigations agents on Oct. 19 at around 6 a.m. As agents led Muñoz away, a family member at the scene called out to the officers: "You all need to get a job." Prosecutors allege Muñoz fraudulently registered to vote in September 2019 and subsequently cast ballots in the 2020 election, twice in 2022, and again in 2024.
Also indicted was Muhammad Khan, 50, of Anaheim, a Pakistani national accused of submitting a ballot while falsely claiming U.S. citizenship. Ana Domínguez, 60, a Salvadoran national living in Long Beach, faces allegations that she fraudulently registered to vote as far back as July 2006 and later lied on naturalization paperwork in March by claiming she had never registered.
Other defendants arrested during the Oct. 19 operation included José Antonio Bañuelos-Díaz and Jesús Narez-Madrigal. Carlos Antonio Galeas and Flavio Alejandro Zúñiga were taken into custody on Oct. 20, and Amandeep Kaur was arrested on Oct. 26.
Federal authorities said the suspects were identified through a list of more than 20,000 suspected noncitizens in California who allegedly registered to vote ahead of the November midterm elections. The defendants face a range of federal charges, including making false statements in naturalization applications.
Top Los Angeles prosecutor Bill Essayli announced the indictments on social media. "Today, a federal grand jury returned 10 indictments against noncitizens who registered and voted in California elections as part of Operation Protect the Vote," Essayli wrote on X, adding: "Our work continues."
Two suspects in Essayli's jurisdiction remain at large. Axel Giovani Prera García, 46, a Guatemalan national and Pico Rivera resident, allegedly registered to vote fraudulently in 2002 and 2005 and made false statements in naturalization paperwork as recently as June 2025. The second fugitive, Ernesto Gutiérrez Ruvalcaba, 57, a Mexican national from Wilmington, allegedly registered to vote in February 2024 by falsely claiming U.S. citizenship and cast a ballot one month later.
Source: NY Post Metro