Latest news with #illegalVoting
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 This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
South China Morning Post
4 days ago
- General
- South China Morning Post
Student flees to China after being charged with voting illegally in Michigan
A Chinese national who was charged with voting illegally in Michigan last fall has fled the US, federal authorities said on Friday. Advertisement The man, who is not a US citizen, had surrendered his Chinese passport in November and was told not to leave Michigan. But he travelled to China from Detroit in January by showing another passport, the FBI said in a court filing. An arrest warrant was issued in April after he failed to appear at two court hearings in Ann Arbor, where he had been a student at the University of Michigan. He was facing charges of perjury and attempting to vote as an unauthorised elector, a felony. Only citizens can vote in federal elections, and every voter must attest to US citizenship when registering. The student was accused of lying about his citizenship when he registered to vote and then casting a ballot during an early voting period. He now faces a federal charge, though the US does not have an extradition treaty with China. Advertisement
Associated Press
4 days ago
- General
- Associated Press
US says student fled to China after being charged with voting illegally in Michigan
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — A Chinese national who was charged with voting illegally in Michigan last fall has fled the U.S., federal authorities said Friday. The man, who is not a U.S. citizen, had surrendered his Chinese passport in November and was told not to leave Michigan. But he traveled to China from Detroit in January by showing another passport, the FBI said in a court filing. An arrest warrant was issued in April after he failed to appear at two court hearings in Ann Arbor, where he had been a student at the University of Michigan. He was facing charges of perjury and attempting to vote as an unauthorized elector, a felony. Only citizens can vote in federal elections, and every voter must attest to U.S. citizenship when registering. The student was accused of lying about his citizenship when he registered to vote and then casting a ballot during an early voting period. He now faces a federal charge, though the U.S. does not have an extradition treaty with China.
