3 noncitizens indicted on election fraud charges after sprawling California takedown

Three alleged noncitizens in Southern California were indicted by a federal grand jury Wednesday on elected fraud charges after a sprawling takedown of suspected illegal voting across California.

The three were identified as Mexican national Sulema De Leon, Cambodian national Butleng Taing and Canadian national Rouzbeh Seyamaknejad — all of whom are accused of illegally registering to vote, according to the Department of Justice.

The indictments follow busts across California last week that snared 28 suspects in what authorities called the state’s biggest-ever voter fraud bust.

De Leon, 35, of Long Beach, is accused of illegally registering to vote in 2013 before casting a ballot in 2020 while falsely denying to have claimed US citizenship, authorities said.

Taing, 43, also of Long Beach, is accused of illegally registering to vote in 2021, voting in 2022 and 2024, and falsely denying prior US citizenship claims.

Seyamaknejad, 63, of Rancho Palos Verdes, is accused of illegally registering to vote in 2018 and falsely denying to have claimed US citizenship.

“The grand jury has started returning indictments against noncitizens who registered to vote, including those who voted in prior elections,” said LA’s top federal prosecutor, Bill Essayli.

“Safeguarding the integrity of our elections remains a top priory for our office and we will continue investigating and charging election fraud.”

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The defendants swept up last Monday in “Operation Protect the Vote” were charged in federal courts with a range of crimes, including false statements in naturalization applications.

They were identified from a list of more than 20,000 suspected noncitizens in the state who allegedly registered to vote in next month’s midterm election.

The California Post was there as Homeland Security Investigations swooped in on the City of Commerce home of Omar Alexander Muñoz around 6 a.m., swiftly taking him into custody.

Muñoz, 72, a Belizean national, is accused of fraudulently registering to vote in September 2019, claiming he was a US citizen, according to prosecutors. He then voted in US elections in 2020, twice in 2022 and in 2024, court papers say.

Muñoz also allegedly lied on his application to become a naturalized US citizen, when he falsely stated under oath to have never claimed US citizenship, investigators say. He faces felony charges including making false statements in a naturalization application.

The list of 20,000 suspected noncitizens was front and center in a Los Angeles courtroom on Tuesday, where Bill Essayli demanded ballots believed to be cast by those on the list be segregated.

Essayli pushed for a preliminary injunction, warning that 500,000 ballots have already been counted and any votes cast by noncitizens could be included in the tally.

“We are not seeking to change the rules. As we speak thousands of ballots are being counted. We have a strong interest in election integrity,” Essayli told a packed courtroom. 

Los Angeles’ top federal prosecutor has warned upcoming midterm elections are under serious risk of being “corrupted.”

Federal law prohibits noncitizens from voting in federal elections, and the government says some people have faced criminal charges over alleged illegal registration and voting. 

“Every minute that goes by, American citizen votes are being diluted in the state of California,” Essayli said last week.