RANCHO PALOS VERDES, CA — A Rancho Palos Verdes woman has been indicted by a federal grand jury after prosecutors alleged she illegally registered to vote, cast a ballot in the 2024 presidential election and subsequently lied about her voting history while applying for U.S. citizenship.
Amandeep Kaur, 30, an Indian national and lawful permanent resident, was among 10 people indicted Nov. 4 in a federal investigation into alleged voter registration fraud involving residents of Los Angeles and Orange counties, according to the Justice Department.
Prosecutors allege Kaur registered to vote in December 2022 despite not being a U.S. citizen, then voted in the November 2024 general election. When she subsequently applied for naturalization, authorities allege she falsely denied ever claiming U.S. citizenship or registering to vote.
Her arraignment is scheduled for Nov. 20.
Kaur's husband, however, has offered a different account of the circumstances surrounding the alleged offenses.
In an October interview with the Associated Press, Kulwinder Singh said his wife had lived in the United States for eight years and was working toward becoming a citizen.
Singh said Kaur obtained her driver's license in 2024, taking the written examination in Hindi because she struggles with English. He said he did not know whether she registered to vote during that process.
Although Kaur received and returned a ballot that year, Singh said the couple believed they were submitting a voter registration form rather than an election ballot.
"All she does is cry. It's heartbreaking," Singh told the AP, describing his wife's distress over the allegations.
The account offers a potential explanation for the ballot's submission, although it does not resolve prosecutors' separate allegation that Kaur registered to vote in 2022 or made false statements on her citizenship application.
The indictment is part of Operation Protect the Vote, a federal initiative aimed at investigating alleged election fraud in California.
All 10 defendants are lawful permanent residents, commonly known as green card holders, who are not eligible to vote in federal elections. Nine are accused of making false statements on naturalization applications, while the remaining defendant is charged with falsely claiming U.S. citizenship to register to vote.
The defendants were initially charged through federal criminal complaints in October, before grand juries returned indictments Nov. 4.
Each faces a maximum possible sentence of five years in federal prison if convicted, according to prosecutors.
Homeland Security Investigations is investigating the cases, which are being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California.
An indictment contains allegations, not proof of wrongdoing. Kaur and the other defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
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