A 51-year-old business owner and father of seven, Camilo Giles Jimenez, pleaded not guilty to three misdemeanor counts of voting illegally as a noncitizen during a federal court hearing in Fresno. Jimenez, a U.S. legal permanent resident from Mexico, has lived outside Kerman, in Fresno County, since at least 2017. The federal government alleges he voted in three elections in violation of the law that bans noncitizens from voting for president or Congress.
The Justice Department announced charges against Jimenez and 27 other California residents on Oct. 19 as part of a coordinated effort to address alleged election fraud. Many of the defendants are not charged with illegally voting, but with illegally registering to vote or lying on their naturalization applications. More court appearances are set for the coming days and weeks.
Legal experts say that to gain convictions for illegal voting, prosecutors must prove that these people willfully committed a crime, which could be difficult. Regardless of any criminal convictions, even legal residents could be deported whether or not they knew they were breaking the law.
Twenty-three of those accused are from Southern California, six are from the Bay Area, four are from the Sacramento region, and seven are from Fresno County and the Central Valley. One of those arrested in the mid-October sweep, 72-year-old Omar Muñoz of Commerce, told KCRW that six police vehicles, a helicopter, and at least six reporters arrived at his home just after 5 a.m. on Oct. 19. Muñoz was still wearing pajamas when he was shackled around the waist and legs and transported to downtown Los Angeles. He was released that afternoon but would not speak to the specifics of the charges against him.
The Justice Department has said these indictments are the tip of the iceberg in what they allege is widespread voter fraud in California. Acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter said in a news release, “Every illegal vote cancels out the vote of a lawful American citizen.” “Each of the 28 defendants charged today appears on the list of more than 20,000 likely noncitizen registrants we provided to California election officials last week. California refused to look at that list. Today’s charges show exactly what that refusal puts at risk.”
A federal judge sided with California by rejecting a bid by the Trump administration to separate out any ballots sent in from people on that list. The decision by U.S. District Judge David Carter is a setback for the federal government in its efforts to exert more control over state-run elections ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm. On Monday, the Supreme Court denied an appeal by the Department of Justice to wade into its fight with California over voter rolls.
