Staff Reports
Last week, Shakir Khan, a councilman from Lodi, California, was taken into custody by the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office for his involvement in voter fraud during the 2020 election. The arrest was made on Thursday and encompassed several violations, including but not limited to falsely registering himself or another person as a voter, submitting deceitful candidacy petitions, assisting or encouraging fraudulent activities during an election, and adding imaginary names to nomination petitions.
In 2019, the Sheriff’s Office began investigating Khan after observing an increase in criminal activity along the Waterloo corridor in eastern Stockton. Their inquiry revealed that Khan was the proprietor of an illicit internet gambling establishment known as the American Smokers Club. Subsequently, in 2021, Khan and his sibling Zakir Khan were apprehended and formally charged with more than 50 offenses related to unlawful gambling, laundering of money, perpetrating unemployment claim fraud, and evading taxes.
During a search of Khan’s residence in connection with a separate investigation, law enforcement officers discovered 41 mail-in ballots that were completed and sealed. Additionally, they found that 23 individuals had registered to vote using Khan’s address as their own, while 47 others had purportedly used his email and phone number despite residing at different locations. According to deputies, some individuals claimed that Khan had signed their ballots, and there were reports of individuals who were not even residents of the United States casting votes for Khan.
According to Sheriff Patrick Withrow, Khan sought to subvert and manipulate the fundamental principle of open and equitable elections. The sheriff further stated that Khan appeared to have singled out members of his own Pakistani community. Khan also released a video on social media instructing those who may be interviewed to claim that they had personally completed their ballots if questioned.
Despite Lodi Mayor Mikey Hothi’s claim that he obtained Khan’s signature on a letter of resignation while the latter was incarcerated, Khan, upon his release, asserted that he has no plans to resign. Allen Sawyer, who serves as Khan’s legal counsel, warned that if the city of Lodi tries to enforce what he believes to be a baseless resignation, they will likely face substantial legal action in federal court.
The arrest of Shakir Khan has caused a stir in San Joaquin County and beyond. The allegations of voter fraud have raised serious concerns about the credibility of the 2020 election process. The San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office is continuing to investigate the case and has promised to protect the rights of all county residents to free and fair elections.
Khan is facing charges for a variety of offenses related to voter fraud, including causing/procuring/allowing false voter registration of self or another person, submission of fraudulent candidacy petition, aiding/abetting the commission of fraud at any election, and the subscription of fictitious names to nomination petitions. He is also accused of false nomination/declaration of candidacy, fraudulently casting votes, and procuring/assisting/counseling/advising another not qualified to vote.
The preceding article is a summary of an article that originally appeared on Daily Fetched
