Three Noncitizens Indicted for Election Fraud in Southern California
A federal grand jury indicted three noncitizens on election fraud charges following California's largest-ever voter fraud sweep, which netted 28 suspects.
Federal Grand Jury Charges Three in California Voter Fraud Case
A federal grand jury in Southern California returned indictments Wednesday against three noncitizens accused of illegally registering to vote, the NY Post Metro reports — the latest development following what authorities described as the state's largest-ever voter fraud bust.
The three defendants are Sulema De Leon, 35, a Mexican national from Long Beach; Butleng Taing, 43, a Cambodian national also from Long Beach; and Rouzbeh Seyamaknejad, 63, a Canadian national from Rancho Palos Verdes, according to the Department of Justice.
De Leon is accused of illegally registering to vote in 2013 and casting a ballot in 2020 while falsely denying having claimed US citizenship. Taing is alleged to have registered in 2021, voted in 2022 and 2024, and similarly denied prior citizenship claims. Seyamaknejad is accused of registering illegally in 2018 and making a false denial regarding US citizenship status.
The indictments come days after "Operation Protect the Vote" swept up 28 suspects across California last Monday on a range of federal charges, including false statements in naturalization applications.
"The grand jury has started returning indictments against noncitizens who registered to vote, including those who voted in prior elections," said Bill Essayli, Los Angeles' top federal prosecutor. "Safeguarding the integrity of our elections remains a top priority for our office and we will continue investigating and charging election fraud."
Among those arrested during the earlier operation was Omar Alexander Muñoz, 72, a Belizean national from the City of Commerce. Homeland Security Investigations took Muñoz into custody at his home around 6 a.m. He is accused of registering to vote in September 2019 by falsely claiming US citizenship, then voting in 2020, twice in 2022, and again in 2024. He also allegedly lied on his naturalization application. Muñoz faces felony charges including making false statements in a naturalization application.
The suspects were identified from a list of more than 20,000 individuals authorities believe are noncitizens who registered to vote in California ahead of next month's midterm elections.
That list became a focal point in a Los Angeles courtroom Tuesday, where Essayli sought a preliminary injunction demanding that ballots believed to have been cast by those individuals be segregated. He warned that 500,000 ballots had already been counted and that votes by noncitizens could be included in that total.
"We are not seeking to change the rules. As we speak thousands of ballots are being counted. We have a strong interest in election integrity," Essayli told a packed courtroom.
He had previously warned that the upcoming midterm elections are at serious risk of being "corrupted," adding: "Every minute that goes by, American citizen votes are being diluted in the state of California."
Federal law bars noncitizens from voting in federal elections, and prosecutors say criminal charges have been filed against a number of individuals over alleged illegal registration and voting activity across the state.
Source: NY Post Metro