Two Pakistanis — Muhammad Muzammal, 37, and Muhammad Shakeel, 62 — have been indicted for illegally voting in the 2020 federal election and for making false statements while applying for US citizenship. Both of their were non-citizens when they registered to vote in New Jersey. On their registration forms, they falsely certified and attested that they were US citizens. Their applications got approved and they cast ballots in the November 2020 general election without being US citizens. This was not the end. After illegally voting, they submitted applications for naturalization, the process in which Green Card holders become US citizens after living in the country legally for five years.
An N-400 (the naturalization application) requires the applicants to swear under penalty of perjury that the information they provide in their application is complete, true, and correct. In their respective N-400s, both men lied and claimed that they had never registered to vote or voted in any Federal, state, or local elections.After they submitted their N-400s, they faced interviews where they were placed under oath and were questioned about the answers that they provided in their applications. Both of them again lied that they had never voted in any Federal, state, or local elections.The two men have been in the US since 2017 and had permanent legal status under family visas, according to court documents.The two men defend their act and their attorney said they maintain their innocence. “Our clients maintain their innocence and are committed to fully cooperating with law enforcement and the judicial system throughout the process,” Rizwan M. Kahlid, who represents both men, said. “We strongly believe that the facts, once fully presented and examined, will demonstrate that the allegations against our clients are without merit.”
