Three alleged noncitizens in Los Angeles County were indicted by a federal grand jury Wednesday on election fraud charges, following a sweeping crackdown on suspected illegal voting in California.
The defendants were identified as Mexican national Sulema De Leon, Cambodian national Butleng Taing and Canadian national Rouzbeh Seyamaknejad. Prosecutors accuse all three of unlawfully registering to vote in the state.
The indictments came after authorities arrested 28 suspects across California last week in what officials described as the state’s largest-ever voter fraud operation.
According to Los Angeles’ top federal prosecutor, Bill Essayli, De Leon allegedly registered to vote illegally in 2013 and cast a ballot in 2020, despite falsely denying that she had previously claimed US citizenship.
Taing allegedly registered to vote in 2021 and cast ballots in 2022 and 2024. Prosecutors also accuse him of falsely denying any prior claims of US citizenship.
Seyamaknejad is accused of illegally registering to vote in 2018 and falsely stating that he had never claimed US citizenship.
The suspects arrested last Monday during “Operation Protect the Vote” face federal charges involving a range of alleged offenses, including making false statements on naturalization applications.
Authorities said the defendants were identified through a list of more than 20,000 suspected noncitizens who allegedly registered to vote ahead of next month’s midterm election.
The California Post witnessed Homeland Security Investigations agents raid the City of Commerce home of Omar Alexander Muñoz shortly after 6 a.m. Agents quickly took him into custody.
Muñoz, 72, a Belizean national, allegedly registered to vote in September 2019 while falsely claiming to be a US citizen, prosecutors said. Court documents allege that he later voted in the 2020 election, twice in 2022 and again in 2024.
Investigators also allege that Muñoz made false statements on his application for naturalized US citizenship, swearing that he had never claimed to be a US citizen. He faces felony charges, including making false statements in a naturalization application.
The list of 20,000 suspected noncitizens took center stage Tuesday in a Los Angeles courtroom, where Essayli urged officials to segregate ballots believed to have been cast by people identified on the list.
Essayli sought a preliminary injunction, warning that roughly 500,000 ballots had already been counted and that votes cast by noncitizens could be included in the final tally.
“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.
Los Angeles’ top federal prosecutor has warned that the upcoming midterm elections face a serious risk of being “corrupted.”
Federal law bars noncitizens from voting in federal elections, and prosecutors say several people have already faced criminal charges over alleged unlawful registration and voting.
“Every minute that goes by, American citizen votes are being diluted in the state of California,” Essayli said last week.
