A Chinese national in Massachusetts was arrested on allegations he fraudulently registered another person to vote and cast a ballot in the 2024 presidential election, and is accused of filing false immigration paperwork that triggered removal actions against the purported victim.
A federal complaint says the defendant, identified as a resident of Andover, Massachusetts, used someone else’s identity to register and vote in the 2024 election. Authorities describe the conduct as deliberate impersonation tied to both election and immigration paperwork. The arrest underscores how one individual’s actions can have cascading legal consequences for others.
The charged individual, age 33, faces one count of fraudulent voter registration and one count of fraudulent voting. Prosecutors also allege he submitted two fraudulent immigration forms on behalf of the victim and the victim’s spouse, which led to the confiscation of their Green Cards and initiation of removal proceedings. Those allegations are detailed in federal court documents filed in Boston.
According to filings, the defendant was scheduled to appear in federal court in Boston for an initial appearance at 2:00 p.m. Local law enforcement and federal agents worked together on the investigation, and the matter was brought before a federal prosecutor from the Major Crimes Unit. The case will proceed through the federal court system where guilt or innocence will be determined.
Court papers state that on Oct. 10, 2024, the defendant allegedly submitted an online voter registration through the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s website while impersonating another Chinese national who lived in Massachusetts and held legal permanent resident status. The filings further allege that on Oct. 31, 2024, the defendant submitted an early voting ballot at Malden City Hall in that person’s name for the 2024 U.S. presidential election.
After those actions, investigators say the same defendant sent anonymous tips in April and May 2026 to Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services claiming that the victim “illegally voted in the 2024 U.S. presidential election.” The tips allegedly included the statement that “[h]e is not a U.S. citizen but a permanent resident.” Those communications are cited in the charging documents as part of the chain of conduct.
The complaint also alleges that in April 2024 the defendant impersonated the same Chinese national and that person’s wife in fraudulent forms submitted to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, falsely requesting to abandon their LPR status. When the couple returned from international travel in June 2024, they were stopped for secondary inspection at Logan Airport in Boston, had their Green Cards confiscated, and were placed in removal proceedings, actions the government links to the fraudulent filings.
The charges carry serious potential penalties. The charges of fraudulent registration and fraudulent voting each provide for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The defendant is subject to deportation upon completion of any sentence imposed, and any eventual sentence would be imposed by a federal district court judge under the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and governing statutes.
The U.S. Attorney in Boston and the Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England announced the arrest, noting assistance from local police departments. The Lexington Police Department and the Andover Police Department are credited with valuable help in the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Nagelberg of the Major Crimes Unit is handling the prosecution.
The allegations in the charging documents remain allegations at this stage of the process. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. This case will move through standard federal procedures, where both the evidence and the law will be tested in open court.
https://x.com/DMAnews1/status/2090108298808713699
