Federal Operation Protect the Vote Leads to 28 Arrests in California
Select a version of the text written from a presumed ideological perspective. This is not the original text, but a hypothetical version — how someone with that viewpoint might have phrased it. Tapping the current version again will return to the original or select cleaned version.
Federal prosecutors charged 28 lawful permanent residents in California with illegal voting and fraudulent registration, part of a nationwide crackdown on alleged election law violations.
Federal officials announced that 28 individuals in California have been charged with alleged illegal voting and fraudulent voter registration under the "Operation Protect the Vote" initiative. The defendants, all lawful permanent residents, are accused of registering to vote and casting ballots in the November 2024 general election while falsely claiming U.S. citizenship.
Among those charged are Giezell Viduya Adawag, 41, of Vacaville, who appeared in federal court and was released on her own recognizance, and two Sacramento men: Juan Antonio Rivas García, 46, and Kamlesh Navnitlal Shah, 67, both alleged to have voted in multiple elections after misrepresenting their citizenship status.
Acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter said the Justice Department will pursue cases involving non-citizens voting in federal elections, stating, "> This Department of Justice will not look the other way while non-citizens vote in federal elections."
Adawag’s defense attorney, Megan McLoughlin, described the charge as unprecedented in her experience and expressed concern for her client’s wellbeing. If convicted, Adawag faces up to one year in federal prison.
NorCal Resist program director Giselle García claimed that the presence of federal agents in full uniform at a Sutter County polling site was intended to intimidate voters, a charge the county registrar of voters, Donna Johnston, did not corroborate.
The Justice Department said it had provided California with a list of individuals on Oct. 13 and requested that the state set aside their mail-in ballots pending citizenship verification. According to McCotter, the state did not respond, leading the federal government to file a lawsuit seeking a court order to block the counting of the contested ballots. The department reported a total of 112 arrests nationwide related to voting and registration offenses in recent weeks.
California Governor Gavin Newsom responded that the federal statistics do not support claims of widespread voter fraud.