Ten alleged noncitizens were indicted on federal election fraud charges Wednesday, part of a continuing crackdown in Southern California authorities have called the largest voter fraud investigation in the state's history. The indictments bring the total number of defendants charged in the probe, dubbed Operation Protect the Vote, to 28.
Prosecutors accuse the defendants of illegally registering to vote and casting ballots despite allegedly falsely claiming U.S. citizenship. Among those indicted were Alexander Muñoz and two individuals who remain fugitives.
Muñoz, a Belizean national, was arrested in October. Authorities allege he fraudulently registered to vote in September 2019 by claiming to be a U.S. citizen. He then allegedly cast ballots in the 2020 election, twice in 2022, and again in 2024.
Muhammad Khan, 50, of Anaheim, a Pakistani national, was also indicted. Prosecutors allege he submitted a ballot while falsely claiming U.S. citizenship. Ana Domínguez, 60, a Salvadoran national, is accused of fraudulently registering to vote in July 2006 and later lying on naturalization paperwork in March by claiming she had never registered.
Federal authorities identified the suspects through a list of more than 20,000 individuals in California who allegedly registered to vote despite being noncitizens. The defendants face federal charges including making false statements in naturalization applications.
Two individuals remain fugitives: Axel Giovani Prera García, 46, a Guatemalan national, and Ernesto Gutiérrez Ruvalcaba, 57, a Mexican national. Prera García is accused of fraudulently registering to vote in 2002 and 2005 and making false statements about it in his naturalization paperwork in June 2025. Ruvalcaba allegedly illegally registered to vote in February 2024 by falsely claiming to be a U.S. citizen and then unlawfully voted one month later.