An Indian national was federally indicted by a grand jury in Minnesota for knowingly making the false claim to be a U.S. citizen to vote in the 2024 general election, prompting pushback online and from an expert who spoke to Fox News Digital.
Mukeshkumar Somabhai Chaudhari, according to a DOJ press release earlier this month, falsely claimed U.S. citizenship by signing a voter signature certificate required under state law to vote in Minnesota and voting Nov. 5, 2024.
“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,” Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said in the press release.
“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.”
Dhillon added in a post on X Tuesday that the Justice Department has “indicted or convicted 67 individuals for election related crimes.”
Earlier this year, Fox News Digital reported that Chaudhari, 39, was facing state perjury and voting violation charges and that he denied he voted when first questioned by authorities but later claimed he “made a mistake” and admitted to voting while also telling investigators he is not a U.S. citizen.
Chaudhari, according to investigators, received a voter registration notice from the state of Minnesota in a move that was likely triggered in the system after he obtained his driver’s license. Chaudhari is said to have told authorities that he didn’t learn he should not have voted until his lawyer informed him during his green card process.
“Once again, DOJ is proving that if you look for election fraud, you find election fraud,” Chad Ennis, vice president of Honest Elections Project, told Fox News Digital Tuesday. “The left loves to claim election fraud does not happen. But here we have yet another instance of a noncitizen illegally registering to vote.”
News of the federal indictment spread across social media as well, with some users pointing out that numerous elected Democrats in recent years have downplayed the existence of voter fraud.
“That thing that never happens,” Center for the American Experiment’s Bill Glahn posted on X.
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“Tim Walz’s Minnesota is a hotbed for fraud!” political commentator Eric Daugherty posted on X.
Glahn previously spoke to Fox News Digital about his concerns over the lack of safeguards in Minnesota’s voting system, including registered voters being able to “vouch” for up to eight other voters’ residency who want to sign up for same-day voter registration without an ID.
“Only U.S. Citizens are eligible to vote in Minnesota,” the Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State told Fox News Digital earlier this year, adding that ineligible voting is “extremely rare.”
“When an individual completes a voter registration application, they attest that they meet all eligibility requirements, including that they are a U.S. citizen,” the office said. “Before casting a ballot, one must again swear to their eligibility before they are allowed to vote.
“If a noncitizen attempts to vote in an election, they will be caught and held to account. Penalties for voting while ineligible may include deportation, a permanent bar on future citizenship, a fine of up to $10,000, and up to five years in prison.”
If convicted, Chaudhari faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison on each of the two counts he faces.
