In Massachusetts, a Chinese citizen has been accused of impersonating another Chinese person holding a green card, registering as a voter before the 2024 U.S. presidential election and casting an early vote in the other person’s name. To add to the intrigue, after carrying out these actions, he anonymously reported the Chinese individual to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), claiming the other person had engaged in “illegal voting.”
According to the announcement from the Massachusetts federal prosecutor’s office on the 19th, 33-year-old Yupeng Sun is facing charges of “fraudulent voter registration” and “fraudulent voting.” Each charge carries a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Once the sentencing is completed, Sun may also face deportation.
The investigation timeline, as described in the affidavit, involves a series of events between Sun and his landlord, ranging from their tenant-landlord relationship, physical altercations, civil lawsuits, to the alleged forgery of green card abandonment documents leading to the cancellation of the landlord’s green card status and nearly facing deportation. The case eventually extended to voter registration, presidential election voting, and an anonymous report. Finally, during a two-hour interrogation by HSI, Sun admitted to registering the victim as a voter and casting a vote on the victim’s behalf, as well as forging the victim’s signature to abandon the green card.
Reviewing the affidavit submitted by HSI special agent Andrew DePatto this week, our reporter reconstructed the case starting from an anonymous report, leading to the identification of Yupeng Sun.
In April 2026, HSI received two identical anonymous reports through their website, alleging that a green card-holding Chinese citizen had illegally voted in the 2024 presidential election.
The reports were highly detailed, providing the individual’s name, date of birth, partial Social Security number, voter registration address, and claiming that the person registered as a voter through the state government website and personally voted at the municipal hall.
Around April 6, the same information was sent to HSI and USCIS through different post offices. The three anonymous mails had the mailing address listed as a homeless shelter in Boston. The mails also contained screenshots of voter registration information obtained from the Secretary of State’s website.
Investigators began verifying whether the reported individual, J.L., had indeed registered or voted. It was quickly discovered that the reporters seemed to have knowledge of a significant amount of J.L.’s personal information, indicating a prior acquaintance.
Between 2021 and 2023, Sun had rented a room from J.L. Their relationship later soured. On May 27, 2023, Sun was arrested for allegedly assaulting J.L.’s adult daughter, Z.L. Four days later, he filed a civil lawsuit against Z.L., claiming he was unfairly evicted. Two months later, Z.L. reported to the police that two cars’ tires parked outside had been slashed, suspecting a link to Sun.
Investigations also revealed that prior to the voter registration incident, the couple, J.L. and Y.L., had lost their green cards.
On January 8, 2024, someone signed two I-407 forms on behalf of J.L. and his wife Y.L., surrendering their legal permanent resident status. USCIS approved it in April.
In June 2024, upon their return to Boston’s Logan International Airport from overseas, the couple’s I-407 records were flagged by customs. Their green cards were confiscated, and deportation proceedings were initiated.
However, the couple denied signing the I-407 forms. In a January 2026 immigration court hearing, they testified that their former roommate had helped them fill out health insurance application forms in English, allowing access to their personal information. They also stated that after the roommate moved out, their relationship deteriorated. A handwriting analysis expert confirmed that they were not the signatories of the I-407 forms, leading the immigration judge to reinstate their permanent resident status.
Shortly after the green card abandonment incident, J.L.’s identity was used for voter registration. On October 10, 2024, someone submitted an online voter registration application in J.L.’s name, using his old address and driver’s license information through the Massachusetts Secretary of State’s website.
Nineteen days later, a man visited a polling station, claiming to be J.L., received the 2024 presidential election ballot, and signed J.L.’s name on the early voting envelope.
Months later, HSI received an anonymous report alleging that J.L. had engaged in illegal voting. In June 2026, law enforcement officers visited J.L. and his daughter Z.L. J.L. denied registering as a voter or voting, while his daughter suspected Sun’s involvement in the matter.
Simultaneously, investigators traced the anonymous reporter using electronic records, linking the IP address and electronic evidence to Sun.
On July 23, 2026, HSI personnel conducted a recorded interview with Sun.
Sun admitted to living with J.L.’s family and acknowledged the deteriorating relationship with the landlord’s family. When asked if he still held resentment towards Z.L., he replied, “Very much so.” When asked if he was also angry with J.L. and Y.L., he said, “Angry at both of them.”
Subsequently, investigators presented the relevant evidence one by one. Confronted with the anonymous report, Sun claimed responsibility, admitting to registering as a voter and casting a vote in J.L.’s name: “I registered,” “I voted in his name,” and “I signed on the I-407 form.” After about two hours of questioning, Sun texted a law enforcement officer, “I know I am likely to be indicted.”
Finally, Sun was arrested on August 19. The indictment revealed that Yupeng Sun is a Chinese citizen, born in Shaanxi Province, China. He entered the U.S. on a B-2 tourist visa in 2020, which expired in 2021. In February 2022, he applied for a U visa, and currently, he is under deferred deportation status.
Our reporter has reached out to Sun’s representative lawyer, Oscar Cruz, for comments but has not received a response by the deadline.