A San Jose man charged by federal prosecutors Monday with illegally voting in the 2024 election says he has never voted — and learned of the charges when a reporter called him.
David Shapiro, 41, a lawful permanent resident from the country of Georgia, is charged with voting as a noncitizen, attempting to obtain naturalization unlawfully and making a false statement under oath relating to naturalization, according to the Justice Department.
Reached by phone Monday, Shapiro said he had been unaware of the charges and denied ever voting.
“How could I even be voting?” he told the Bay Area News Group. “I’m not even a citizen.”
Charging documents filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California indicate that Shapiro checked boxes declaring he was not a citizen on driver’s license and identification card applications in 2019 and 2021.
On or around Nov. 5, 2024, however, prosecutors allege Shapiro submitted a voter declaration form on which he checked a box declaring himself a U.S. citizen and subsequently cast a ballot in the general election. Nearly two months later, on Dec. 26, 2024, Shapiro submitted another driver’s license and identification card application on which he indicated he was not a U.S. citizen.
In his naturalization application, submitted on or around Nov. 24, 2024, Shapiro answered “no” to questions asking whether he had ever claimed to be a U.S. citizen, registered to vote or voted in an election, according to the charging documents.
Shapiro said he moved to the United States in 2018 and had his naturalization interview last month.
“I have no idea what to say,” he said of the charges. “I’ve never dealt with the law. I’m shocked. I don’t even know what is my next move.”
The prosecutor handling the case did not immediately respond to questions about the specific voter declaration form cited in the complaint and the evidence supporting the allegation that Shapiro cast a ballot.
Michael Borja, a spokesperson for the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters, declined to comment, saying the office was “still investigating” the matter.
Shapiro was among 28 people charged Monday in a federal sweep targeting alleged illegal voting, voter registration and related offenses in California. All 28 are lawful permanent residents, according to the Justice Department.
Another defendant, Manakotau Mataele Finau, a Tongan national who lives in Hayward, according to charging documents, could not be reached for comment Monday. The documents say Finau became a lawful permanent resident of the United States in 1969.
Prosecutors allege Finau registered electronically on Nov. 3, 2024, signed another registration form the following day and voted in the Nov. 5 general election. Both registration forms included declarations of U.S. citizenship, according to the charging documents, which did not identify the evidence supporting the voting allegation.
Prosecutors also allege Finau falsely denied previously claiming U.S. citizenship or voting in a U.S. election when applying for naturalization in July 2026.
The charges are part of the Trump administration’s broader effort to target noncitizen voting ahead of the November midterms. Trump has repeatedly claimed such voting is widespread, although studies have found it is rare.
The Justice Department sued California last week, seeking to block the counting of mail ballots from more than 20,000 registered voters federal officials say are likely noncitizens until their citizenship can be verified. California’s secretary of state has disputed the adequacy of the information and methodology supporting the list.
Staff Writer Kyle Martin contributed to this report.