Chinese National Charged with Voter Fraud in Massachusetts
Yupeng Sun, 33, of Andover, has been charged with fraudulent voter registration and voting in the 2024 election; the case is pending and undecided.
3 reports on this incident · first at Aug 19, 2026, 3:54 p.m. ET
Earlier reports
Aug 19, 2026, 5:49 p.m. ET
Chinese National Charged With Federal Voter Fraud in Massachusetts
According to the criminal complaint filed in federal district court (sun_-_complaint.pdf) and the announcement released by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts, Yupeng Sun, 33, a Chinese national residing in Andover, Mass., was arrested on Aug. 19, 2026. Sun was charged with one count of fraudulent voter registration and one count of fraudulent voting. The case is at the charging stage only. No plea, verdict or other resolution is recorded, and the matter remains undecided.
The same record states that Sun was scheduled to appear in federal court in Boston for an initial appearance at 2:00 p.m. on the day of the arrest.
According to the court filings described in that record, on Oct. 10, 2024, Sun allegedly submitted an online voter registration through the Secretary of the Commonwealth's website while impersonating another Chinese national residing in Massachusetts who held legal permanent resident ("LPR") status. On Oct. 31, 2024, Sun allegedly continued to impersonate that person and submitted an early voting ballot at Malden City Hall for the 2024 U.S. presidential election.
The record further alleges that in April 2024 Sun impersonated the same man and his Chinese national wife in fraudulent forms submitted to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services ("USCIS") requesting to abandon their LPR status. When the couple returned from an international trip in June 2024, they were subjected to secondary inspection at Logan Airport in Boston, had their Green Cards confiscated and were placed into removal proceedings, allegedly as a result of Sun's submission of the fraudulent forms.
After registering to vote and voting, Sun allegedly submitted several anonymous tips in April and May 2026 to Homeland Security Investigations and USCIS stating that the victim "illegally voted in the 2024 U.S. presidential election" and noting that "[h]e is not a U.S. citizen but a permanent resident."
As stated in the charging record, the charges of fraudulent registration and fraudulent voting each provide for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The defendant is subject to deportation upon completion of any sentence imposed. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah Foley and Jeff Grimming, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England, made the announcement. The record credits the Lexington Police Department and the Andover Police Department with valuable assistance in the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Nagelberg of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. Nothing in the record reviewed here shows how the case was resolved; as of the date of this account, it had not been.
Aug 19, 2026, 3:54 p.m. ETFirst report
Chinese National Charged with Voter Fraud in Massachusetts
This is a developing matter and the case remains undecided. On August 19, 2026, federal prosecutors announced criminal charges against 33-year-old Chinese national Yupeng Sun, who resides in Andover, Massachusetts. According to official court documents from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts, Sun was arrested and charged with one count of fraudulent voter registration and one count of fraudulent voting. The charges contained in the court filings are allegations, and Sun is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
According to official charging documents, Sun allegedly submitted an online voter registration on Oct. 10, 2024, through the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s website by impersonating another Chinese national residing in Massachusetts with legal permanent resident status. Court filings state that on Oct. 31, 2024, Sun allegedly impersonated the victim to submit an early voting ballot at Malden City Hall for the 2024 U.S. presidential election. Official records state that Sun later submitted anonymous tips in April and May 2026 to Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services stating that the victim "illegally voted in the 2024 U.S. presidential election" and noting that "[h]e is not a U.S. citizen but a permanent resident."
Charging documents further state that in April 2024, Sun allegedly impersonated the same Chinese national and his wife in fraudulent forms submitted to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services requesting to abandon their legal permanent resident status. When the couple returned from an international trip in June 2024, they were subjected to secondary inspection at Logan Airport in Boston, had their Green Cards confiscated, and were placed into removal proceedings as a result of the fraudulent forms. United States Attorney Leah Foley and Jeff Grimming, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England, announced the charges, which are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Nagelberg. Each charge carries a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000.
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Revision history
- Version 222 Aug 2026, 12:22current
Added explicit statement that the case is at the charging stage and has not been decided by a court, to satisfy the open_matter_unnoted warning.
- Version 119 Aug 2026, 20:28
First published.
- Version 119 Aug 2026, 19:54current
First published.
- Version 119 Aug 2026, 21:49current
First published.
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