Latest news with #HaoxiangGao
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
University of Michigan student fled to China after being charged with voting illegally, FBI says
() — A Chinese national charged with voting illegally at the University of Michigan has fled the U.S., according to a criminal complaint filed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation that was unsealed on Friday. Haoxiang Gao was attending the Ann Arbor-based university in October 2024 and lived on campus, authorities said. Safety officials with the school spoke with Gao on Oct. 28 after hearing reports that a student had unlawfully cast a vote in the 2024 general election, according to the recently unsealed court documents. CBS Detroit previously reported on the case, but authorities didn't identify Gao at the time. Gao admitted during the conversation with the school that he registered to vote and did cast a vote at a polling location on campus on Oct. 27. He was charged by the state on Oct. 30 with one count each of unauthorized elector attempting to vote and making a false affidavit for the purpose of securing voter registration, court records show. During Gao's arraignment, a judge ordered him to surrender his Chinese passport and not to leave Michigan, according to the criminal complaint. The passport handed in had a serial number ending in '1332.' A warrant for Gao was later issued after he missed court hearings on March 6 and April 24. The FBI said in the filing that Gao's passport was in the possession of school safety officials during a court hearing. However, according to prosecutors, Gao boarded a Delta flight from Detroit International Airport to Shanghai, China, on Jan. 19 using a Chinese passport in his name with a serial number ending in '7137.' CBS News Detroit has reached out to the university for comment. Gao has been federally charged with flight to avoid prosecution, though the U.S. does not have an extradition treaty with China. The case is among the very few instances of noncitizens voting in federal elections in modern history, studies and investigations have found. Analysis by the nonpartisan Brennan Center for Justice found 30 cases of noncitizens suspected of voting in the 2024 general election reported by election officials out of 23.5 million votes cast in the 42 jurisdictions reviewed. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
2 days ago
- General
- CBS News
University of Michigan student fled to China after being charged with voting illegally, FBI says
A Chinese national charged with voting illegally at the University of Michigan has fled the U.S. Haoxiang Gao was attending the Ann Arbor-based university in October 2024 and lived on campus, according to a criminal complaint filed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation last month. Safety officials with the school spoke with Gao on Oct. 28 after hearing reports that he had unlawfully cast a vote in the 2024 general election. Gao admitted during the conversation that he registered to, and cast, a vote at a polling location on campus on Oct. 27, according to court documents. Gao was charged by the state on Oct. 30 with one count each of unauthorized elector attempting to vote and making a false affidavit for the purpose of securing voter registration, court records show. During Gao's arraignment, a judge ordered him to surrender his Chinese passport and not to leave Michigan. The FBI said in the filing that Gao's passport was in the possession of school safety officials during the court hearing. According to charges, he boarded a Delta flight from Detroit International Airport to Shanghai, China, on Jan. 19 using a Chinese passport in his name. A warrant for Gao was issued after he missed court hearings on March 6 and April 24. He has been federally charged with flight to avoid prosecution, though the U.S. does not have an extradition treaty with China. Studies and investigations have found very few instances of noncitizens voting in federal elections in modern history. Analysis by the nonpartisan Brennan Center for Justice found 30 cases of noncitizens suspected of voting in the 2024 general election reported by election officials out of 23.5 million votes cast in the 42 jurisdictions reviewed. contributed to this report.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Feds: Chinese student who voted in MI election fled US
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Federal prosecutors have unsealed a criminal case against a Chinese man accused of voting illegally in the 2024 election. The documents provide details on how 19-year-old University of Michigan student Haoxiang Gao managed to leave the U.S. despite surrendering his Chinese passport and agreeing to stay in Michigan while on bond. The case was unsealed seven months after authorities revealed that a student who wasn't a U.S. citizen had cast a ballot for the presidential election at an early voting site in Ann Arbor. Gao cast his ballot in late October, but then reportedly contacted the local clerk, asking if he could somehow get his ballot back. University investigators spoke with Gao the next day. An FBI agent wrote in the criminal case that Gao admitted to casting a vote. Law enforcement charged Gao with perjury on Nov. 8, 2024 — a charge that carries a maximum of 15 years in prison. Prosecutors say Gao surrendered one Chinese passport but used a second one issued in his name to board a Delta flight leaving from Detroit to Shanghai on Jan. 19. It was unclear how he obtained the second passport. 'We have authorized his extradition from anywhere in the world, and remain committed to prosecuting the case to the fullest extent of the law,' Washtenaw County Prosecutor Eli Savit said, according to the . By fleeing the country, Gao is now being additionally charged with flight to avoid prosecution, a felony punishable by up to five years in federal prison, on top of possible prison time for his other charges. In April, a review by the Michigan Secretary of State's office identified 15 non-U.S. citizens who cast ballots in the November election, the Detroit News . Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Accused noncitizen voter in Michigan faces bench warrant after failing to appear for court
Haoxiang Gao, 20, a Chinese national facing felony charges that he voted illegally in last year's election, failed to appear at a hearing Thursday in District 14A Court in Washtenaw County. (Elaine Cromie / Votebeat) This article was originally published by Votebeat, a nonprofit news organization covering local election administration and voting access. Votebeat is a nonprofit news organization reporting on voting access and election administration across the U.S. Sign up for Votebeat Michigan's free newsletter here. ANN ARBOR — A University of Michigan student accused of illegally voting in the 2024 election is facing a bench warrant after failing to appear in court for a hearing Thursday. Haoxiang Gao, 20, a Chinese national, is facing two felony charges that he cast a ballot despite not being eligible and lied on the voter registration form. He was scheduled for a probable-cause hearing but didn't appear. The hearing had been delayed repeatedly over the past several months. It's not clear where Gao is. K. Orlando Simón, Gao's attorney and a staff member at the University of Michigan's Student Legal Services, declined to comment Thursday, and university officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A voicemail left with the Washtenaw County prosecutor's office Friday morning was not immediately returned. The bench warrant, which authorizes an arrest, is an escalation in a case that has highlighted a loophole in the state's same-day registration system, prompting lawmakers and state officials to propose new solutions to ensure it won't happen again. The decision, made by Judge J. Cedric Simpson of District 14A Court, happened after a bench conference with Gao's lawyer. If convicted, Gao could face up to nine years in prison and potential deportation. Records obtained by Votebeat show Gao allegedly cast a ballot at an early voting center at the University of Michigan Museum of Art in Ann Arbor in October. Federal law restricts voting in U.S. elections to citizens, and authorities say Gao falsely claimed citizenship when registering. In emails sent to local prosecutors and state election officials the day after the incident, Ann Arbor Clerk Jackie Beaudry said Gao admitted what he had done, after initially suggesting that someone else had used a green card to vote. Cases like Gao's are exceedingly rare. A statewide review in Michigan identified just 15 other suspected noncitizens who voted in the 2024 general election — roughly 0.00028% of all ballots cast. That number closely matches the rate seen in other states. A 2024 review in Ohio found fewer than 600 of the 8 million people registered in the state were not citizens. In that instance, 138 of those people had potentially voted in the last year, officials said. A similar 2024 review in Georgia found that 20 of the more than 8.2 million people registered to vote there aren't U.S. citizens. Only nine of those 20 had voted in previous elections, state officials said. Michigan Republicans have seized on Gao's case to call for stricter voting laws. Rep. Bryan Posthumus, a Republican from Rockford, introduced a potential constitutional amendment that would require new voters to prove their citizenship when registering in addition to requiring the state to run continual citizenship checks for voters already on the rolls. Critics call the proposal a disproportionate response that could disenfranchise eligible voters, particularly those who may struggle to obtain documentation. Supporters of the measure cited Gao's case during a recent legislative hearing. Rep. Jay DeBoyer, a Republican from Clay Township, argued that 'common sense election provisions' like citizenship checks would have prevented the incident. Last week, members of the Board of State Canvassers unanimously approved language for the Committee to Protect Voters' Rights to gather signatures to get a nearly identical measure on the ballot through the petition process. The group, which has historically worked against ballot issues focused on the expansion of voting rights, has 180 days to gather nearly 450,000 valid signatures from registered voters around the state to get the proposal on the 2026 ballot. Democrats have suggested they would introduce legislation that would stop noncitizen voting without requiring broad citizenship checks. Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, who is running for Governor, said she would spearhead those efforts, but specifics of a plan have yet to be introduced. Gao's next hearing has not yet been scheduled, according to court records. Hayley Harding is a reporter for Votebeat based in Michigan. Contact Hayley at hharding@ Votebeat is a nonprofit news organization covering local election integrity and voting access. Sign up for their newsletters here.
