Mukeshkumar Somabhai Chaudhari, a non-citizen, was arrested for making a false claim of U.S. citizenship to register and vote in Minnesota's November 2024 general election, the Department of Homeland Security said. A federal grand jury returned the indictment on September 10.
According to the indictment, Chaudhari signed Minnesota's voter signature certificate on November 5, 2024, swearing that he was a U.S. citizen when he was not. The certificate requires voters to declare under oath that they are U.S. citizens.
Chaudhari is charged with false information in voting and making a false claim of citizenship to register or vote. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison on each count.
"Voting is reserved for U.S. citizens, and falsely claiming citizenship to cast a ballot is a serious crime," said Travis Pickard, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in St. Paul. "We will continue working with our law enforcement partners to protect the integrity of our election systems."