Six more noncitizens have been charged with illegally registering and voting in federal elections, including an Iranian man and a Canadian national.
asserted
noncitizens → charge → man
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli announced the charges during a presser Monday as part of what his office has coined “Operation Protect the Vote,” a federal initiative that has now resulted in charges against 34 people accused of illegally registering to vote or casting ballots in federal elections.
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that → announce → elections
The new charges come as Essayli ramps up efforts to prevent ineligible ballots from being counted ahead of Election Day.
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Essayli → come → Day
Five of the six newly charged individuals were already in custody Monday morning, Essayli said, adding that the sixth was expected to be taken into custody shortly.
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sixth → charge → custody
Among those charged is Mahyar Nikzad, 35, an Iranian national living in Canoga Park who allegedly voted twice in 2024, casting ballots in both the presidential primary and general election.
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who → charge → primary
According to Essayli, the man registered to vote after falsely claiming to be a U.S. citizen.
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man → accord → Essayli
When he applied for citizenship in February 2026, he allegedly lied under oath by denying that he had ever claimed citizenship, registered to vote or participated in an election.
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he → apply → election
Another defendant, Canadian national Chad Goertz, 52, of Agua Dulce, allegedly voted in the 2022 and 2024 general elections after registering in 2018 and claiming to be an American citizen.
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defendant → vote → 2018
Goertz later requested that his voter registration be canceled in September 2025, acknowledging that he was not a citizen and was therefore ineligible to vote, Essayli said.
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Essayli → request → September
Despite that admission, Goertz allegedly denied ever registering or voting when he applied for naturalization in February 2026.
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he → deny → February
The others who allegedly illegally voted are Sirgalahad Camua, 43, a citizen of the Philippines who lives in Palmdale, Krystel Capi Valle, 31, a Mexican national, also living in Palmdale, Moria Dahan, 35, an Israeli national living in West Hills and Gilberto Ruiz, 46, a citizen of Mexico who resides in Palmdale.
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who → vote → Palmdale
Essayli said the defendants were lawful permanent residents, but emphasized that holding a green card does not give someone the right to vote in federal elections.
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holding → say → elections
“Every vote does matter,” Essayli said during the presser Monday.
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Essayli → matter → presser
“It doesn’t take many illegal votes to corrupt our elections.”
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It → take → elections
The six defendants were among more than 20,000 suspected noncitizens identified on California’s voter rolls and referred to state election officials by the federal government, according to Essayli.
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defendants → suspect → Essayli
He emphasized that the list was compiled using California voter registration records that were reviewed by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services officials.
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that → emphasize → officials
Federal authorities included individuals only when immigration records confirmed they were not U.S. citizens, he said.
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he → include → individuals
“Every one of the 20,000 is a confirmed non-citizen, and we believe that they are receiving ballots or have received ballots in this election,” Essayli said.
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Essayli → confirm → election
However, being identified as a noncitizen on a voter registration list does not necessarily establish that someone illegally cast a ballot.
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someone → identify → ballot
Essayli said federal prosecutors do not intend to bring criminal charges against all 20,000 individuals.
“Our goal is not to charge all 20,000 people.
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goal → say → people
Our goal is to get California to not count the votes of non-citizens,” he said.
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he → get → citizens
The announcement comes as the federal government seeks an emergency intervention from the U.S. Supreme Court to require California to separate ballots associated with the list of suspected noncitizens.
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government → come → noncitizens
Essayli said the U.S. solicitor general filed the emergency request Monday, arguing that the ballots should be segregated while their eligibility is examined.
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eligibility → say → request
“Segregating does not mean they won’t be counted,” Essayli said.
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Essayli → mean → ?
“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.”
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ballots → mean → determination
Erin Burke, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Los Angeles, who was also at the presser, said federal investigators are committed to pursuing allegations of election-related crimes.
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investigators → say → crimes
“The American people deserve an election system that they can trust, and HSI is committed to investigating criminal activity that threatens that integrity,” Burke said.
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Burke → deserve → integrity
“We will follow the evidence wherever it leads, use the full strength of our investigative capabilities, and work to hold those who violate federal law accountable.”
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who → follow → law
Essayli also announced that federal prosecutors are working with local law enforcement agencies and district attorneys across California to investigate suspected illegal voting.
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prosecutors → announce → voting
He said federal authorities lack the resources to pursue every individual identified on the list and are asking local prosecutors to investigate potential violations in their jurisdictions.
“Not only is it against federal law for non-citizens to vote, it’s also against state law,” Essayli said.
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Essayli → say → law
San Luis Obispo County District Attorney Dan Dow announced during the presser that for their part his office filed three felony charges against 31-year-old John Ruel S. Ambos, accusing him of illegally registering to vote and casting a ballot in California’s September 2021 gubernatorial recall election.
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office → announce → election
According to Dow, Ambos allegedly committed voter registration fraud in August 2016 by registering despite knowing he was ineligible.
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he → accord → August
He was also charged with perjury for falsely declaring that he was a U.S. citizen and fraudulent voting for casting a ballot in the 2021 recall election.
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he → charge → election
Dow said the alleged offenses were not discovered until Oct. 23, 2026, allowing prosecutors to pursue the charges under a provision of California law addressing when crimes are discovered.
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crimes → say → law
His office is also nearing charging decisions in 16 additional cases referred by federal authorities.
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office → near → authorities
“California must never be allowed to be a sanctuary for illegal voting,” Dow said.
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Dow → allow → voting
“A law that is not enforced is not a law at all, and if we want elections that people can trust, we have to enforce the most basic requirement: every Californian must be a U.S. citizen to vote.”
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Californian → enforce → requirement
Dow emphasized that Ambos is presumed innocent unless proven guilty and that being included on a federal referral list does not automatically establish criminal wrongdoing.
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included → emphasize → wrongdoing
“Every case will be decided on the evidence that we review independently, and some investigations may confirm that a person on the list was eligible,” Dow said.
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Dow → decide → list
Essayli praised the cooperation between federal and local prosecutors, saying the effort was about enforcing election laws rather than partisan politics.
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effort → praise → politics
…and 13 more, not listed.
The Aporia
