ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — An Iraqi man living in upstate New York has been charged with illegally voting in the 2020 election, according to U.S. prosecutors, who said Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency assisted in the investigation.
Akeel Abdul Jamiel, 45, was living in South Glens Falls, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) north of Albany, when he voted in Saratoga County “fully knowing he was not a United States citizen,” according to an April 25 charging document.
He is charged with voting by aliens, a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in prison.
“Election security is and will continue to be one of the FBI’s highest national security priorities,” Craig Tremaroli, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Albany field office, said in a Justice Department news release.
Attempts to reach Jamiel were unsuccessful. Messages emailed to addresses used by Jamiel in the past either bounced back or didn’t result in an immediate response. A message was also left at a phone number listed for Jamiel in a court filing in an unrelated lawsuit. Court records did not indicate whether he has an attorney.
President Donald Trump has blamed widespread voter fraud for his loss to Joe Biden in the 2020 election, despite analyses showing that claim was false. Public records indicate Jamiel registered as a member of New York’s Conservative Party the month before the election.
“Only American citizens can vote in American elections,” the Justice Department post said. “Thanks to our partnership @DOGE, this DOJ has charged an Iraqi man for illegal voting in the 2020 election.”
It isn’t clear who Jamiel voted for in the election. In a 2019 lawsuit, however, he identified himself as a Trump supporter.
In the suit against New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, Jamiel claimed his rights were being violated because New York was too tolerant of illegal immigration. He included several letters in the suit that he had sent to the White House complaining that America was “under invasion” by people entering the country illegally. Jamiel also included a letter he had received from the White House in response, signed by Trump, thanking him for his correspondence.
Since DOGE was established by Trump to reduce waste and fraud in government, its staffers have scrutinized departments managing the government workforce and federal properties. The prosecutor’s office did not elaborate on DOGE’s role in the investigation of Jamiel.
