Israeli Resident Arrested in LA for 2024 Presidential Vote

The US Department of Justice arrested a 35-year-old Israeli citizen in Los Angeles on Monday for allegedly voting in the 2024 presidential election.

Moriah Dahan lives in the West Hills suburb of Los Angeles and holds a green card, which allows her to live and work in the United States but does not grant her the right to vote in federal elections. Federal prosecutors announced the arrest on Monday, November 3, 2026.

The case stems from a discrepancy between Dahan's actions on election day and her statements in a later citizenship application. On November 5, 2024, Dahan registered to vote and cast a ballot in person at a polling station. During that process, she declared that she was a US citizen. A year later, on November 6, 2025, she applied for US citizenship. In that application, she stated that she had never claimed to be a US citizen and had never registered to vote in the country. Federal prosecutors said those statements were false.

Dahan is one of six new defendants charged in connection with a federal enforcement operation called Operation Protect the Vote. She faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. The other five defendants are citizens of the Philippines, Canada, Iran, and Mexico. All six individuals reside in the Los Angeles area and were arrested on Monday.

The operation was announced by the DOJ on October 19, 2026, under the initiative of the Trump administration. It involves coordination among the four federal prosecutors' offices in California and Homeland Security Investigations. In the first public disclosure of the operation, authorities charged 28 foreign permanent residents in California and arrested 11 of them. The addition of the six new defendants brings the total number of individuals charged in California to 34.

This is the second instance in a short period where an Israeli has been charged with illegal voting in the United States. In late October 2026, the DOJ announced an indictment against Yehuda Peer, a 30-year-old Israeli resident of Merion Station, Pennsylvania. Peer also holds a green card and is accused of voting in the November 2024 election while knowing he was not a US citizen. His case was reported on October 25, 2026.

The California operation is part of a broader federal effort ahead of the congressional midterm elections scheduled for Tuesday, November 3, 2026. On October 26, 2026, the DOJ reported proceedings against 48 foreign nationals across five US states for various election offenses, including unlawful voting and false registration.

A legal dispute has emerged between the federal government and California state authorities. The administration claims to have identified more than 20,000 individuals on state voter rolls who are suspected of not being US citizens. On October 15, 2026, the administration filed a lawsuit against California after the state refused to cooperate in reviewing these lists. California authorities rejected the allegations of widespread voter fraud and disputed the reliability of the federal lists.

Bill Essayli, who heads the federal prosecution in the Central District of California, stated that all 34 defendants in the California operation appear on the list sent to state officials. He said authorities will continue to investigate and prosecute those who voted illegally. Erin Burke, head of Homeland Security Investigations for the Los Angeles area, added that investigators will continue to act on the evidence collected.

An initial appearance for Dahan in federal court in Los Angeles was scheduled for Monday afternoon.