Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
Two Indian nationals are among 28 green card holders charged with election fraud in California, news agency Press Trust of India reported, citing a statement issued by the US Department of Justice on Monday.
Amandeep Kaur, 30, and Kamlesh Shah, 67, have been accused of fraudulently registering as voters and casting ballots in the November 2024 US elections.
The Justice Department said 11 of the 28 people charged were arrested during early-morning raids across California under ‘Operation Protect the Vote’, an initiative aimed at combating election fraud and protecting electoral integrity. It was not immediately clear whether Kaur and Shah were among those arrested.
advertisement
Shah, a Sacramento resident, allegedly registered to vote on the day of the November 2024 general election and cast his ballot the same day, according to the Justice Department.
Kaur, a resident of Rancho Palos Verdes who is seeking US citizenship, allegedly registered to vote in December 2022 and voted in the November 2024 election, the department said.
“All 28 foreign nationals charged are lawful permanent residents (LPRs), or ‘green card’ holders. Although LPRs have legal immigration status in the United States, they are not US citizens and are not permitted to vote in US elections,” the Justice Department said.
The charges include making false statements in a naturalisation application, while some defendants have also been charged with fraudulent voter registration. Both are felony offences carrying a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison.
“Each of the 28 defendants charged today appears on the list of more than 20,000 likely noncitizen registrants we provided to California election officials last week,” Acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter told reporters in Los Angeles, according to PTI.
Before Monday, the Justice Department had charged about 90 people with various forms of election misconduct this year, including 50 accused of voting despite not being US citizens. The United States had more than 227 million registered voters during the 2024 presidential election.
In all, 28 green card holders, including Kaur and Shah, face charges linked to alleged illegal voter registration or voting in the November 2024 US elections, with 11 people arrested across California.
With PTI Inputs
– Ends
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
