Chinese National Charged In Elaborate Massachusetts Voter Fraud Scheme

Federal authorities in Massachusetts have charged a Chinese citizen with fraudulent voter registration and illegal voting after he allegedly stole the identity of a legal permanent resident to cast a ballot in the 2024 presidential election, according to court documents released by the Department of Homeland Security.

Investigators with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New England arrested Yupeng Sun on August 19. According to federal prosecutors, Sun submitted an online voter registration on October 10, 2024, using the name and personal details of another Chinese national who holds legal permanent resident status in Massachusetts. Three weeks later, on October 31, Sun cast an early voting ballot at Malden City Hall under the victim’s name.

Court filings state that after casting the ballot, Sun sent anonymous tips to HSI and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) accusing the victim of illegally voting in the presidential election while not being a U.S. citizen.

Federal officials also allege that in April 2024, Sun submitted fraudulent paperwork to USCIS in which he impersonated both the victim and the victim’s wife to falsely request the abandonment of their permanent resident status. As a result of those fraudulent filings, the victim and his wife were placed into removal proceedings in June 2024 upon returning to the United States from an overseas trip.

The charges of fraudulent registration and fraudulent voting each carry a potential penalty of up to five years in federal prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. Prosecutors noted that Sun faces deportation upon completing any sentence imposed.

“This criminal illegal alien allegedly committed voter fraud so he could vote in the 2024 presidential election,” said DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin. “The charges in this case are the result of the hard work of the men and women of HSI and our federal partners. Election security is national security. Only American citizens should be electing American leaders.”

The case was announced by Acting Special Agent in Charge Jeff Grimming of HSI New England and U.S. Attorney Leah Foley. The Lexington and Andover Police Departments assisted in the investigation, and Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Nagelberg of the Major Crimes Unit is handling the prosecution.

The arrest follows several other recent federal enforcement actions involving non-citizens voting in U.S. elections. Earlier this month, Colombian national Carlos Felipe Jaramillo-Grajales received a three-year prison sentence for using a stolen identity to vote in American elections over a 20-year span. Federal authorities also made arrests in July involving an Australian national who voted in Louisiana elections and a Slovakian national who voted in New Jersey. Additional charges and guilty pleas regarding non-citizen voting have been filed this year in New Jersey, Kansas, and against a Mauritanian national in March.

Over the summer, the Department of Homeland Security has introduced new measures targeting non-citizen voting, including warnings sent by Secretary Mullin to state election officials regarding voter rolls, new election integrity requirements tied to FEMA grants, and directives ordering ICE to pursue deportation against non-citizens who cast illegal ballots.