Khalwinder Singh Bhengura, 69, a lawful permanent resident since 2022, was arrested on September 11 in Tarrant County, Texas. Prosecutors say he registered to vote in January 2024 by falsely claiming U.S. citizenship and again listed himself as a citizen when applying for a Texas driver’s licence in August. The alleged vote was cast in the November 2024 general election. After police interrogation, Bhengura admitted he knew he was not a citizen.
He is the latest of seven non‑citizens to face federal charges in a North Texas probe that began last month. Six defendants, including Nigerian nationals Helen Mayen Adams and Joshua Nmelichukwu Akpom, Mexican nationals Carlos Salas Barrios, Rocio Thrasher, Moises Anwar Arellano‑Alba, and Congolese citizen Celestin Katubadi, were indicted on September 10. A separate complaint charged Akpom on September 11.
The investigation is a joint effort by Homeland Security Investigations, the FBI Dallas field office, the Texas Attorney General’s Election Integrity Unit, and the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office. U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould said the cases reinforce that “federal elections belong to American citizens—period.” HSI Dallas acting Deputy Special Agent in Charge Judy Pardo framed election integrity as a national‑security priority, while FBI Special Agent R. Joseph Rothrock pledged to probe all allegations of voter fraud.
Under federal election law, a non‑citizen who votes faces a felony penalty of up to ten years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The charges also carry a separate count for making a false statement of citizenship, which can add up to five years for each offense.
While the case is still pending, the defendants are expected to appear before a federal judge in early October, where arraignments will set the timeline for the forthcoming trial. The investigation has prompted law‑enforcement agencies to tighten scrutiny of voter registration applications in the region.