A 68-year-old lawful permanent resident faces a federal misdemeanor charge after casting a ballot in the November 2024 election, according to court records. Kamlesh Shah said an election worker at a Sacramento County polling place allowed him to vote after he presented his driver’s license and pending citizenship application.
Shah, an Indian immigrant who has lived in the United States for more than 30 years, said then-Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign inspired him to vote, according to reports. The criminal complaint alleges he falsely declared himself a U.S. citizen on the form before casting his ballot.
A man charged in the DOJ’s federal voter-fraud investigation says he thought he was eligible to vote because he had a Real ID.
Kamlesh Shah, 68, tells KCRA 3 no one at the polling location told him he couldn’t vote. More info at the link in our bio. pic.twitter.com/m674DEVFR8
— kcranews (@kcranews) October 20, 2026
His case became public Monday as federal authorities announced charges against 28 California residents accused of illegal voting or related offenses. All 28 are lawful permanent residents, commonly known as green-card holders, and are ineligible to vote in federal elections because they are not U.S. citizens. Agents arrested 11 that morning.
🚨 IT'S OFFICIAL: THESE NONCITIZENS were just busted by the Trump DOJ illegally voting and voter crimes in CALIFORNIA
And THOUSANDS of investigations are underway.
California is REFUSING to sequester 20,000 noncitizen ballots despite DOJ demands, so Trump went to court to FORCE… pic.twitter.com/rkd783Zy4E
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) October 19, 2026
“Elections belong to American citizens. Even if one noncitizen votes in an election, that is a violation of the constitutional rights of every voter in California who has a legal right to have their vote be counted equally and not diluted by noncitizens,” federal prosecutor Bill Essayli said in a statement.
Department of Homeland Security agents questioned Shah on Nov. 15, 2024, and told him the government intended to seek cancellation of his citizenship application because he had voted illegally. He later received a notice to appear in federal court in Sacramento on Nov. 6, 2026. The charge carries a maximum penalty of one year in prison or a $100,000 fine.
Shah, who has contacted a federal public defender, said he has not voted since. An unopened ballot sent by California officials for the 2026 midterm elections remained in his apartment Monday.
“It was a really big mistake,” he said. “I’m really nervous and really upset.” Shah lives in a senior facility in Sacramento’s south Land Park neighborhood and uses a cane because of a heart condition. “I can hardly walk and talk. Now I have to face these charges.”
A spokesperson for the Sacramento County elections office did not respond to a request for comment. State officials have previously disputed broader claims about the number of noncitizens on California’s voter rolls. None of the six related cases filed in the Eastern District of California involved charges above the misdemeanor level.
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