Illegal Voting Case at University of Michigan Triggers Federal Charges Against Chinese National. FBI alleges international student cast ballot in 2024 election, then fled Michigan before prosecution.

Illegal Voting by Foreign National Sparks Federal Case in Michigan

DETROIT — Federal prosecutors in Michigan have charged a former University of Michigan student from China with illegally registering and voting in the 2024 U.S. presidential election, then fleeing the country to avoid prosecution. The case, announced June 3 by U.S. Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon, Jr., raises serious questions about election integrity, university oversight, and federal enforcement in Michigan.

PRC Citizen Allegedly Voted Using Student ID in Ann Arbor

According to the federal complaint, Haoxiang Gao, a citizen of the People’s Republic of China, used a University of Michigan student ID to register to vote in the days leading up to the November 2024 presidential election. Investigators say Gao submitted false statements on both his voter registration and early voting applications, claiming U.S. citizenship.

He then allegedly cast a ballot at a polling site located within the University of Michigan Museum of Art, a designated voting location in Ann Arbor.

Fled to China Before Inauguration Day, Officials Say

Gao was initially arrested on state charges and granted a $5,000 personal bond. The court ordered that he remain in Michigan and surrender his passport. While Gao did submit a passport to University of Michigan police, authorities say it was not the same passport he used to later board a flight to Shanghai from Detroit Metropolitan Airport on January 19, 2025—just one day before the new administration assumed office in Washington, D.C.

Federal officials now believe Gao used a second Chinese passport, in his name but with a different number, to leave the country in violation of court orders.

Federal Flight Charges Added After Absconding

On May 30, a separate criminal complaint was unsealed charging Gao with flight to avoid prosecution, adding to the original allegations of voting by an alien and making false claims in voter registration.

Federal Prosecutors Emphasize Severity of Alleged Conduct

“This is not just voter fraud,” said U.S. Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon, Jr. “Illegal voting by a foreign national who is from a country controlled by a communist party dictatorship – with no modern history or tradition of democratic government – is beyond the pale.”

He added that such conduct “serves to disenfranchise United States citizens by diluting their power at the ballot box.”

FBI Commends University Police and Ann Arbor Agents

FBI Special Agent in Charge Cheyvoryea Gibson emphasized the seriousness with which the agency treats such cases: “The FBI will investigate anyone who attempts to unlawfully interfere with the electoral process in the United States.”

He credited the FBI Ann Arbor Resident Agency and the University of Michigan Division of Public Safety & Security for their roles in the investigation.

University of Michigan Again Linked to Federal Security Breach

This case follows another high-profile federal investigation involving foreign nationals and biological pathogen smuggling at a University of Michigan lab—highlighting increasing scrutiny of international researchers and students in Michigan-based institutions. While no university staff were implicated in either case, federal agencies appear to be tightening their oversight of research campuses.

Case Highlights Gaps in Election System and Oversight

The use of a university ID and false citizenship claims raise questions about voter registration safeguards in Michigan and across the U.S. Although Michigan law requires that registrants affirm U.S. citizenship, no proof is required under current registration protocols.

Gao’s case may reignite policy discussions about student ID-based registration systems and passport tracking for non-citizen residents under legal scrutiny.

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