San Jose man charged with illegal voting denies ever casting ballot

The Justice Department charged over two dozen foreign nationals Monday with illegal voting or voter registration, including a San Jose man accused of voting in the 2024 election despite not being a citizen, according to eastbaytimes.com and mercurynews.com.

David Shapiro, a 41-year-old lawful permanent resident from Georgia, is charged with voting as a noncitizen, attempting to obtain naturalization unlawfully, and making false statements under oath related to naturalization, the Justice Department said.

Shapiro told reporters he was unaware of the charges and denied ever voting, stating he is not a U.S. citizen. Charging documents filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California show he declared noncitizen status on driver’s license applications in 2019 and 2021.

However, prosecutors allege that on or around November 5, 2024, Shapiro submitted a voter declaration form claiming U.S. citizenship and cast a ballot in the general election. Later, on December 26, 2024, he again indicated noncitizen status on a driver’s license application.

In his naturalization application submitted around November 24, 2024, Shapiro answered “no” to questions about ever claiming U.S. citizenship or voting. He said he moved to the U.S. in 2018 and recently completed his naturalization interview.

The prosecutor did not immediately respond to inquiries about the evidence supporting the allegation that Shapiro voted.