Indian national arrested for voting in election by posing as a US citizen

Bangla Press Desk: An Indian national, identified as Mukesh Kumar Somabhai Chaudhari, has been arrested on charges of casting a vote in the 2024 U.S. presidential election in the state of Minnesota by falsely claiming to be a U.S. citizen.
The 2024 presidential election in Minnesota saw a tightly contested race between Donald Trump and Democratic candidate Kamala Harris.
According to the criminal complaint, on November 5, 2024, Mukesh Kumar signed a "voter signature certificate"—a requirement under Minnesota law—to cast his ballot. In doing so, he was required to affirm or swear that he was a U.S. citizen. Prosecutors allege that he is not a U.S. citizen and that he made this false declaration for the purpose of voting.
Mukesh has been charged with knowingly providing false information and falsely claiming U.S. citizenship while registering to vote or casting a ballot. If convicted, he could face a maximum sentence of five years in prison for each count.
Markwayne Mullin, a U.S. official, issued a stern warning to foreign nationals who vote in U.S. elections.
He stated, "We will find you, we will arrest you, and you will face the consequences—which include criminal charges and deportation... Under the leadership of President Trump, this administration will not allow the votes of U.S. citizens to be diluted by non-citizens casting illegal ballots in our elections. Only U.S. citizens shall elect U.S. leaders."
Travis Pickard, a Special Agent with Homeland Security Investigations, noted in a statement that the right to vote is reserved exclusively for U.S. citizens, and falsely claiming citizenship to cast a ballot is a serious crime.
He added, "We possess the experience and authority to investigate such incidents, and we take this responsibility very seriously. We will continue to work alongside other law enforcement agencies to safeguard the integrity of our electoral system." Source: NDTV
BP/TD