Two Indians among 28 green card holders charged over alleged US election fraud

• Two Indian nationals are among 28 green card holders charged in California over alleged unlawful voter registration and voting in the November 2024 US elections

• Eleven defendants were arrested in statewide raids, but it remains unclear whether either Indian national was among them

• The Justice Department said the charges include fraudulent voter registration and false statements in naturalisation applications, carrying maximum prison terms of five years

Two Indian nationals have been charged alongside 26 other lawful permanent residents in California over alleged election fraud, the US Department of Justice said on Monday.

The department identified the Indian defendants as Amandeep Kaur, 30, of Rancho Palos Verdes, and Kamlesh Shah, 67, of Sacramento. Both are accused of fraudulently registering to vote and casting ballots in the November 2024 US elections.

Federal authorities arrested 11 of the 28 defendants during early morning raids across California under “Operation Protect the Vote”. The department did not immediately clarify whether Kaur or Shah was among those detained.

According to prosecutors, Shah registered to vote on the day of the November 2024 general election and cast a ballot that same day.

Kaur, who is seeking US citizenship, allegedly registered in December 2022 before voting in the November 2024 election.

The Justice Department said all 28 defendants hold green cards, which grant lawful permanent residence but do not confer citizenship or eligibility to vote in federal elections.

The charges announced include making false statements in naturalisation applications, with some defendants also facing fraudulent voter registration charges. Each offence carries a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison. The allegations have yet to be proved in court.

Speaking to reporters in Los Angeles, Acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter said all 28 defendants appeared on a list of more than 20,000 people identified by the department as likely non-citizens registered to vote. That list was provided to California election officials the previous week.

The department’s description of those registrants as likely non-citizens does not establish that they voted unlawfully.

Before the latest cases, the Justice Department had charged about 90 people with various election-related offences this year. Of those, 50 were accused of voting despite not being US citizens.

More than 227 million people were registered to vote in the United States during the 2024 presidential election.

With PTI inputs