Two Indian nationals among 28 charged with election fraud in California

Two Indian nationals are among 28 US legal permanent residents who are charged with election-related violations in California, including improper registration to vote and actually voting in the US elections scheduled for November 2024, the US Department of Justice has said.

Authorities identified the pair as Amandeep Kaur, 30, of Rancho Palos Verdes, and Kamlesh Navnitlal Shah, 67, of Sacramento. The charges came Monday in connection with “Operation Protect the Vote,” a federal effort to combat purported election fraud.

Kaur is accused of submitting her voter registration in December 2022 and voting in the 2024 election, the Justice Department said. Shah is charged with submitting a voter registration and voting on the same day in the November 2024 general election.

US attorneys added that the 28 defendants all of whom held green cards have legal residence but are not US citizens and, therefore, are not permitted to vote in federal elections.

Of the 28 defendants, 11 were taken into custody on various raids throughout California, the department said. It remained unclear whether Kaur and Shah were among those taken into custody.

The alleged offences are making false statements on naturalisation applications and voter registration fraud, which both carry a maximum sentence of five years. Shah has been charged with another separate offence of knowingly voting in a federal election as a non-citizen, which has a maximum penalty of one year.

They are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.