A federal grand jury in Minnesota has indicted an Indian national for allegedly making a false claim of U.S. citizenship in order to vote in the 2024 general election.
Mukeshkumar Somabhai Chaudhari was charged in a two-count indictment returned in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota. According to the Justice Department, the charges stem from his alleged participation in the Nov. 5, 2024, general election.
Prosecutors allege that Chaudhari signed the voter signature certificate required under Minnesota law on Election Day. The certificate required voters to swear or affirm that they were U.S. citizens.
The indictment alleges that Chaudhari was not a U.S. citizen at the time and knowingly made the false statement about his citizenship in order to cast a ballot.
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“The right to vote is a sacred privilege of American citizenship, and every lawful voter deserves an election system in which that right is protected,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.
“The Department will hold accountable those who knowingly make false claims of citizenship in order to vote. The integrity of our elections depends on ensuring that only eligible citizens cast ballots and that every lawful vote is counted.”
Chaudhari faces one count of false information in voting under 52 U.S.C. § 21144(b), incorporating 18 U.S.C. § 1015(f), and one count of making a false claim of citizenship to register to vote or vote under 18 U.S.C. § 1015(f).
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If convicted, he could face a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison on each count. Any sentence would be determined by a federal district court judge after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Homeland Security Investigations is investigating the case with assistance from the Fillmore County Sheriff’s Office.
Trial Attorneys Flavio Abreu and William Rubens of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division Criminal Section are prosecuting the case.
The Justice Department emphasized that an indictment is only an allegation. Chaudhari is presumed innocent unless and until he is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.