A California city council member was arrested after he allegedly engaged in election fraud.
Shakir Khan, a Democrat city council member in Lodi, was booked Thursday for numerous election fraud charges such as stuffing 41 mail-in ballots at his residence, illegally altering voter registration documents, and pushing residents to support him.
According to investigators, Khan signed up 23 people to vote using the address of residence and registered another 47 citizens via his phone number.
A Twitter user shared a clip of a local news report on the matter, commenting, “And another Democrat.”
And another Democrat,
Lodi City Council member Democrat Shakir Khan arrested on voter fraud charges related to 2020 Crime of the Century – stash of ballots found at his residence with fake voter registrations. pic.twitter.com/xWeWpUJy2K
— 🇺🇸RealRobert🇺🇸 (@Real_RobN) February 18, 2023
The accusations against Khan stem from the 2020 election, the same year he won an election for Lodi City Council’s District 4 seat.
He additionally is dealing with a separate criminal case along with his brother surrounding money laundering, illegal gambling, tax evasion, and unemployment fraud, and was slated to appear before court for that case on Feb. 21.
As far as the election fraud charges go, Khan was reportedly let out of jail Friday, albeit with a mandate to stay in California while also wearing an attached tracking device.
“I did not resign my city council seat,” Khan said to KCRA 3 during an exclusive interview following his release. “I will continue to serve the people that I love in my district and my community.”
“My family and myself, we are going through some hard times right now and we are looking forward to fighting these charges,” added Khan.
Lodi’s mayor appeared to paint a different picture; he reportedly stated that he and Khan mutually agreed he should leave the position. According to KCRA 3, both men added their signatures to a handwritten letter that was then stamped by the city clerk.
Khan’s lawyer Allen Sawyer told the outlet that Khan’s stepping down was forced and that officials representing the city should have never pursued his resignation with the methods they used.
“If the city of Lodi attempts to enforce what I think is a bogus resignation, they’re gonna enter into significant federal litigation,” threatened the attorney.
Khan echoed the sentiments, telling KCRA 3 that he felt pressured to agree.
“I was in a trauma,” said Khan. “I’m taking that back. I worked hard for my election. I worked hard to serve my community for the last three years.”