A Chinese national residing in Massachusetts has been accused of impersonating another individual to register and vote in the upcoming presidential election, as stated by federal prosecutors on Wednesday. The suspect, 33-year-old Yupen Sun, was apprehended after he allegedly reported the actual victim to immigration authorities under the claim that the victim was voting illegally.
Sun faces charges of fraudulent voter registration and voter fraud, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Massachusetts. During a federal interview in July, Sun reportedly confessed to registering the victim as a voter and subsequently using his identity to cast a vote.
The complaint details that when Sun was confronted with the victim’s registration information, he admitted, “To tell you the truth, I’m registered.” Moreover, when shown a photo of a ballot envelope submitted to Malden City Hall on October 31, 2024, he allegedly stated, “I used his name to vote.”
Records indicate that a ballot in the victim’s name was indeed accepted for the presidential election. Interestingly, Sun had previously rented a room to the victim and his family, and is accused of impersonating them to fill out immigration paperwork aiming for them to give up their permanent resident status.
Upon their return from a trip abroad in June 2024, the couple found their green cards confiscated and entered into deportation proceedings. However, an immigration judge later reinstated their legal permanent resident status in January 2026, after establishing that their testimony was credible and confirming via forensic evidence that they had not signed the documents in question.
Following the alleged impersonation, Sun reportedly filed an anonymous tip with Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, claiming that the victim had voted illegally. Sun is quoted in the complaint as saying, “I went to the post office to report my father’s vote.”
A citizen of China, Sun entered the U.S. in September 2020 on a tourist visa that expired in March 2021. He is currently in litigation with a pending U-Visa application submitted in February 2022.
Charges of voter fraud carry serious consequences, including a potential five-year prison sentence, supervised release for three years, and a fine of up to $250,000. Following his sentence, Sun may still face deportation.
U.S. Attorney Leah Foley and Jeff Grimming, who oversees Homeland Security Investigations for New England, announced the charges, with assistance from local police departments. The Massachusetts Secretary of State’s office has yet to respond to requests for comment.
