A case has been registered against 28 green card holders in California for alleged election fraud. It is being said that two Indian nationals are also involved in this. According to the US Justice Department, these people are accused of registering as voters and voting during the November 2024 presidential election.

Two Indian nationals are also among the accused

The Indian accused have been identified as Amandeep Kaur, 30, of Rancho Palos Verdes, and Kamlesh Navneetlal Shah, 67, of Sacramento. According to the Justice Department, Amandeep Kaur, who is seeking US citizenship, registered as a voter in December 2022 and cast her vote in the 2024 presidential election.

Whereas Kamlesh Navnitlal Shah registered as a voter on the day of November 2024 general election and also cast his vote on the same day. Charges have been framed against him through a formal document called an ‘Information’. It is not yet clear whether the two Indians are among the 11 people arrested during the morning raid in California.

Proceedings under ‘Operation Protect the Vote’

The allegations have been made under ‘Operation Protect the Vote’. This is a joint initiative involving all four US Attorneys’ offices in California. Its purpose is to prevent electoral fraud and protect the fairness of elections.

Charges against 28 foreign nationals

The Department of Justice said that the 28 foreign nationals charged are all ‘Lawful Permanent Residents’ (LPRs) ie ‘green card’ holders. The department also clarified that people who are not US citizens are not allowed to vote in US elections.

Acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter said all 28 accused were included on a list of more than 20,000 suspects who were registered as voters despite not being US citizens. The list was submitted to California election officials last week.

Fraudulent voter registration

Charges against the accused include providing false information in citizenship applications and fraudulent voter registration. Both are serious felonies, which carry a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison. However, the maximum sentence does not mean that every accused will be sentenced to five years in prison. What the sentence will be will depend on the charges, the evidence and the outcome of the court proceedings.

Before Monday’s announcement, the Justice Department had charged nearly 90 people with various election-related wrongdoings this year. This also includes 50 people who are accused of voting despite being non-citizens. There were over 227 million (22.7 crore) registered voters in the US during the November 2024 presidential election.