DOJ: Chinese National Cast Illegal Ballot, Then Accused Another of Voter Fraud

A Chinese national allegedly voted in the 2024 election by impersonating another Chinese national and then reporting that person to authorities, according to the Justice Department.

In an alleged voter fraud case with a strange twist, Yupeng Sun, 33, was charged with one count of fraudulent voter registration and one count of fraudulent voting, the Justice Department announced Wednesday. Sun faces removal and appeared in federal court in Boston Wednesday.

The case comes in the backdrop of the Trump administration pointing out the scope of noncitizen voting in the United States.

A Census Bureau analysis released on Tuesday claimed at least 24,000 noncitizens voted in the 2020 election, while another 32 million votes have not yet been analyzed.

Separately, the Department of Homeland Security in July said 28,000 noncitizens were registered to vote in 25 states that shared data with the federal government. The department also estimated that 256,463 potential noncitizens were registered to vote in four states—California, New Jersey, Nevada, and Pennsylvania—that had not cross-checked voter rolls with its database.

Federal prosecutors allege that on Oct. 10, 2024, Sun submitted an online voter registration form through the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s website, impersonating another Chinese national and a legal permanent resident in Massachusetts.

On Oct. 31, Sun allegedly impersonated the same individual and submitted an early voting ballot at Malden City Hall for the 2024 election.

In April and May of this year, according to the Justice Department, Sun allegedly submitted several anonymous tips to Homeland Security Investigations as well as U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, claiming the other Chinese national “illegally voted in the 2024 U.S. presidential election” and “is not a U.S. citizen but a permanent resident.”

The charges of fraudulent registration and fraudulent voting each provide for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000. Deportation could come after a sentence is served.

In a separate case last year, federal prosecutors charged a Chinese national who was a student at the University of Michigan for illegally voting. He fled the country and avoided prosecution.

Some states have also reported noncitizen voting in recent years. New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill in July admitted to having 6,600 noncitizens on its voter rolls, and of those, 400 had cast votes. A 2025 Ohio audit found 167 noncitizens voted between 2018 and 2024.