Six noncitizens in California have been charged with illegally registering and voting in federal elections as part of "Operation Protect the Vote," a federal initiative led by First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli. This brings the total number of people charged in the initiative to 34.
Among the newly charged individuals are Mahyar Nikzad, an Iranian national accused of voting twice in 2024 after falsely claiming U.S. citizenship, and Chad Goertz, a Canadian national accused of voting in the 2022 and 2024 general elections. Goertz reportedly acknowledged his ineligibility to vote in September 2025 but allegedly denied ever registering or voting when applying for naturalization in February 2026.
Other defendants include Sirgalahad Camua, Krystel Capi Valle, Moria Dahan, and Gilberto Ruiz, all described as lawful permanent residents who are citizens of the Philippines or Mexico. Essayli emphasized that holding a green card does not grant the right to vote in federal elections.
Essayli stated that the goal is not to prosecute all 20,000 individuals identified on California's voter rolls as suspected noncitizens, but rather to ensure that their votes are not counted. The list of suspected noncitizens was compiled using voter registration records reviewed by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services officials, with federal authorities including individuals only when immigration records confirmed they were not U.S. citizens.
The U.S. government has also filed an emergency request with the Supreme Court seeking to require California to segregate ballots associated with this list of suspected noncitizens pending eligibility review. "Segregating does not mean they won’t be counted," Essayli said, "It means that we’ll have an opportunity to present our evidence in court and make a determination of whether those ballots are legal or not."
Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge Erin Burke affirmed the commitment to investigating election-related crimes to maintain public trust in the electoral system. Federal prosecutors are collaborating with local law enforcement and district attorneys across California to investigate potential violations, as federal authorities lack the resources to pursue every individual on the list.
In a related development, San Luis Obispo County District Attorney Dan Dow announced that his office filed felony charges against John Ruel S. Ambos for allegedly registering and voting illegally in the 2021 gubernatorial recall election, as well as voter registration fraud and perjury for falsely declaring U.S. citizenship. Dow stressed that each case will be decided based on independent evidence review.
These charges follow recent indictments against three other individuals in Southern California accused of similar offenses. The initiative, "Operation Protect the Vote," aims to uphold election laws, which Essayli described as "an American thing" rather than a partisan issue. Officials are working to ensure that only eligible U.S. citizens cast ballots in federal elections.