Chinese national charged with voter impersonation in Massachusetts

A Chinese national, Yupeng Sun, has been charged by federal prosecutors for voter impersonation and fraud during the 2024 U.S. presidential election in Massachusetts. Prosecutors allege that Sun submitted a fraudulent online voter registration in October 2024 by impersonating his former landlord, a lawful permanent resident who is not a U.S. citizen.

According to court filings and investigations led by Homeland Security Investigations, Sun allegedly used the victim’s name, date of birth, and driver’s license number to register and subsequently cast an early voting ballot in Malden. The charges also involve allegations that Sun submitted fraudulent forms to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to request that the victim and the victim’s wife abandon their legal permanent resident status. Following these submissions, the couple was placed into removal proceedings.

The case has raised questions regarding Massachusetts’ online voter registration verification processes. Regulations implemented in June 2023 are intended to prevent such incidents by requiring applicants to have documented citizenship information in motor vehicle records before submitting an online application. Legal experts are questioning how the impersonation bypassed these safeguards.