Federal prosecutors have brought a criminal case against Mukeshkumar Somabhai Chaudhari, an Indian national, on the grounds that he cast a ballot in the 2024 US general election after providing false claims of American citizenship when registering to vote. The Justice Department has charged Chaudhari with two counts — one alleging he provided false information in a voting context, the other that he falsely claimed US citizenship when registering to vote.

Upon a guilty verdict, each count in the indictment would carry a potential prison term of up to five years. The matter arises at a point when the administration has been directing greater attention toward allegations of electoral fraud and moves to tighten the rules governing voter registration.

The DOJ stated in court documents that Chaudhari placed a signature on a Minnesota voter certificate on November 5, 2024, adding that voting in federal elections is restricted by law to citizens of the United States. Citizenship attestation — either by oath or affirmation — was among the declarations the form required him to make. On September 10, a federal grand jury handed down the indictment against him, clearing the path for the federal criminal case to move forward.

No verdict has been reached against Chaudhari in any court proceeding, and what stand on record at this point remain unproven accusations.

The Justice Department's Civil Rights Division head, Harmeet Dhillon, stated that prosecutors would pursue individuals found to have knowingly submitted false citizenship declarations in order to cast a ballot, adding that every eligible voter deserves an electoral process in which their voting rights are protected. Dhillon also stated that individuals who submit fraudulent citizenship declarations to participate in elections face prosecution under departmental authority, and that protecting the legitimacy of the voting process requires confirming that participants meet eligibility requirements and that no lawful ballots go uncounted.

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin put forward a statement asserting that non-citizens found to have cast ballots in federal elections would face arrest, criminal prosecution, and removal from the country, and that the administration's position held that votes by citizens should not be offset by those cast outside legal eligibility.

On multiple occasions, Trump and a network of political supporters put forward claims disputing the validity of the 2020 presidential contest, which Biden won. Voter eligibility verification has been a recurring policy focus for the administration throughout Trump's ongoing term.

According to figures put forward by Trump, a cross-referencing exercise drawing on Department of Homeland Security data, state voter rolls, and public records turned up around 278,000 individuals without citizenship who appeared on federal election registration lists. Legislation advanced by the administration — the SAVE America Act — would make documentary proof of citizenship and a government-issued photo ID conditions for casting a ballot in federal races.

Opponents of the effort have raised concerns that tighter paperwork thresholds could leave certain qualified voters — including members of minority communities — without a path to the ballot.