Federal Grand Jury Indicts 10 California Green Card Holders for Alleged Illegal Voter Registration

A federal grand jury in Santa Ana on Wednesday returned indictments against 10 noncitizens living in Los Angeles and Orange counties, alleging they illegally registered to vote in California by falsely claiming they were United States citizens. The defendants are all lawful permanent residents, commonly known as green-card holders, who are not permitted to register or vote in federal elections.

The cases form part of Operation Protect the Vote, an ongoing multi-district effort in California. Nine of the defendants are charged with making false statements on naturalization applications after previously registering or voting. One defendant, Omar Alexander Muñoz, 72, a Belizean national living in Commerce, is accused of registering in September 2019, voting in 2020, twice in 2022, and again in 2024, then denying those actions on his citizenship paperwork. His arraignment is set for November 16.

The 10 individuals had previously been charged by criminal complaint in October. Prosecutors have stated that the defendants appear on a list of more than 20,000 likely noncitizen registrants that federal officials provided to California election officials. California officials have disputed the accuracy of the broader list.

Attorney General Todd Blanche has described recent charging announcements as the largest surge of voter-fraud cases since the administration took office. Since January 2025 the Justice Department has charged hundreds of individuals nationwide with illegal voting and registration offenses.