An Andover man faces up to 10 years in federal prison after prosecutors say he stole a former landlord's identity to vote in the 2024 presidential election, then tried to get the man deported by reporting him to immigration authorities for the very crime he committed.
Yupeng Sun, 33, was arrested Wednesday, Aug. 19, and was scheduled to appear in federal court in Boston on charges of fraudulent voter registration and fraudulent voting, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts. Each count carries a maximum of five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000.
The scheme stretches back to a soured landlord-tenant relationship in Malden. Sun rented a room from a Chinese national identified in court documents as J.L. and his family from 2021 until May 2023, when Sun was arrested on an assault-and-battery charge involving J.L.'s adult daughter. Those charges were later dismissed, but Sun claimed in court he had been unlawfully evicted.
Prosecutors allege Sun used personal information he obtained while helping J.L. apply for insurance to launch a years-long campaign of retaliation.
Fake registration, fake ballot
On Oct. 10, 2024, someone submitted an online voter registration through the Massachusetts Secretary of State's website in J.L.'s name, using his driver's license number, according to the federal criminal complaint. Three weeks later, on Oct. 31, a person identifying himself as J.L. cast an early ballot at Malden City Hall. Massachusetts voter records confirm the ballot was accepted.
J.L. is a lawful permanent resident who is not eligible to vote in any U.S. election.
When federal investigators confronted Sun with the evidence during a recorded interview on July 23, Sun allegedly admitted to both acts. "I used his name to vote," he told agents after being shown a photograph of the ballot envelope, according to the complaint.
Green cards confiscated at Logan
The voter fraud was only part of the alleged scheme. In April 2024, fraudulent USCIS forms were submitted in the names of J.L. and his wife, Y.L., purporting to request that they abandon their lawful permanent resident status. When the couple returned from an international trip through Boston Logan International Airport in June 2024, they were flagged during secondary inspection, had their green cards confiscated and were placed into removal proceedings.
The victims' attorneys told the Boston Immigration Court that their clients' personal information was stolen and misused by a former tenant in an act of retaliation. An immigration judge restored the couple's status in January 2026 after hearing their testimony and reviewing forensic handwriting analysis showing they had not signed the forms.
Anonymous tips to ICE
Prosecutors say Sun wasn't finished. In April and May 2026, he allegedly sent anonymous tips to Homeland Security Investigations, USCIS and ICE falsely accusing J.L. of illegally voting, according to Newsweek's reporting on the complaint. The mailings included screenshots of J.L.'s voter registration status.
Federal agents traced the tips back to Sun using postal tracking records and internet records. During the July 23 interview, Sun allegedly acknowledged sending them, telling investigators he went to the post office to report the victim's vote. After the interview, Sun texted an investigator acknowledging he expected to be charged.
Investigation and charges
Sun is a Chinese national who entered the U.S. in September 2020 on a tourist visa that expired in March 2021. He holds deferred action status based on a U-Visa application filed in February 2022. He is subject to deportation upon completion of any sentence imposed.
U.S. Attorney Leah Foley and Jeff Grimming, acting special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England, announced the charges. The Andover Police Department and Lexington Police Department assisted in the investigation.
It was not immediately clear whether Sun had retained an attorney.
