The Liberty Daily 
(OMG)—The OMG team uncovered Iranian non-U.S. citizens identified in federal records, including registered sex offenders, were able to vote in Michigan without presenting identification. During the investigation, one Iranian subject told OMG he had voted in the previous three elections and intended to vote again on Michigan Primary Day.
“All I know is you’re [Afshin Masheli] registered to vote here. The rest of the information is not important to me.”
“Yes, this is the right place. You [Fazlollah Haritash] are registered to vote here.”
OMG’s undercover journalists investigated two Michigan registered voters identified in federal court and Department of Homeland Security records as non-U.S. citizens. One of them, Afshin Masheli, is identified in federal court records as an Iranian national, a non-U.S. citizen, and a registered sex offender. DHS has previously featured Masheli on its publicly released “Worst of the Worst” list, which highlights noncitizens arrested by ICE for serious criminal offenses. The second individual, Fazlollah Haritash, is identified in federal records as a non-U.S. citizen. Public court records document his convictions for child sex crimes, and Michigan’s public sex offender registry lists him as incarcerated.
Our undercover journalists visited the polling locations associated with both voter registrations. At Afshin Masheli’s assigned polling location, election workers confirmed that a voter registration under his name appeared in the poll book and stated that a registered voter listed there could cast a ballot. When confronted by an undercover journalist, Masheli said he planned to vote later that day in the 2026 Michigan Primary. At the polling location associated with Fazlollah Haritash’s voter registration, an election worker likewise confirmed that a voter registration under his name appeared on Michigan’s voter rolls.
On July 6, 2026, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon sent a letter to Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson stating that knowingly retaining non-U.S. citizens on Michigan’s statewide voter registration list, issuing ballots to them, and counting those ballots could violate Section 12(2)(B) of the National Voter Registration Act. The letter urged Michigan to ensure its voter rolls comply with federal law. Michigan law limits voting to eligible U.S. citizens.
O’Keefe Media Group has contacted the Michigan Secretary of State, the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the Department of Justice for comment and will update this report with any responses.
If you’ve witnessed fraud in your community or have information relevant to this investigation, email us at tips@okeefemediagroup.com or message us securely on Signal at 914-491-9395. An OMG journalist will get back to you.
