A federal grand jury in the District of Minnesota returned a two-count indictment on Sept. 10, 2026, charging Indian national Mukeshkumar Somabhai Chaudhari with knowingly making a false claim of U.S. citizenship to vote in the Nov. 5, 2024 general election. If convicted, Chaudhari faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison on each count, according to the [Justice Department](https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/indian-national-charged-making-false-claim-us-citizenship-vote-2024-election).
According to the indictment, Chaudhari signed the voter signature certificate required under Minnesota law on or about Nov. 5, 2024. The certificate required him to swear or affirm that he was a citizen of the United States, but the indictment alleges that he was not a U.S. citizen and knowingly made the false citizenship statement in order to vote.
Chaudhari is charged with one count of false information in voting, in violation of 52 U.S.C. § 21144(b), incorporating 18 U.S.C. § 1015(f). He also faces one count of making a false claim of citizenship in order to register to vote or vote, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1015(f).
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said the department would hold accountable people who knowingly make false citizenship claims to vote. A federal district court judge would determine any sentence following a conviction after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Homeland Security Investigations is investigating the case with assistance from the Fillmore County Sheriff’s Office. Trial Attorneys Flavio Abreu and William Rubens of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section are prosecuting the case. An indictment is merely an allegation, and Chaudhari is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.