Crime
The arrest comes as the U.S. Department of Homeland Security pores over voter rolls in some Massachusetts communities.
Joseph Prezioso / AFP via Getty Images, File
May 20, 2026 | 3:47 PM
2 minutes to read
A Canadian man living in Saugus voted illegally in multiple federal elections stretching back more than a decade, prosecutors alleged Tuesday.
Sunny Manhertz, 40, made his initial appearance in a Boston federal courthouse this week as he was charged with one count of unlawful voting by an alien and one count of casting a ballot known to be fraudulent. His attorney did not respond to a request for comment.
Manhertz’s arrest comes as the U.S. Department of Homeland Security pores over voter rolls in certain Massachusetts communities, searching for noncitizens who registered for or voted in federal elections, a DHS agent explained in an affidavit filed in court.
Manhertz, who was born in Canada, has been a lawful permanent resident in the United States since 1987, the court document states. In March 2016, he allegedly submitted a Massachusetts voter registration form and checked “yes” when asked if he was a U.S. citizen, signing under penalty of perjury. When asked where he had last been registered to vote, Manhertz purportedly gave his former address in Everett.
According to the DHS agent’s affidavit, Manhertz ultimately voted in multiple federal elections, including in 2012, 2016, 2020, and 2024. Prosecutors say Manhertz also cast a ballot in the Democratic presidential primary in 2024, as well as in numerous state elections.
Manhertz allegedly filed an application to replace his permanent resident card in 2019, indicating he knew he was not a U.S. citizen, the affidavit states. Still, prosecutors allege he continued to represent himself as a legitimate registered voter as recently as March 2026.
Interviewed by federal officials last week, Manhertz allegedly confirmed he had signed the 2016 voter registration form, also informing officers he had been voting since 2008.
In his affidavit, the DHS agent wrote there is probable cause to believe Manhertz voted in the Nov. 5, 2024, federal election “and knowingly and willfully deprived and defrauded the residents of Massachusetts of a fair and impartially conducted election process.”
Manhertz, who was released on a number of conditions Tuesday, is due back in court June 3. If convicted of knowingly casting a fraudulent ballot, he faces a maximum of five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine, federal prosecutors said. The charge of unlawful voting by an alien carries a sentence of up to one year in prison, one year of supervised release, and a $100,000 fine.
Documented cases of voter fraud remain rare, even as the Trump administration ramps up its efforts to investigate claims of noncitizens voting. The Heritage Foundation, a right-wing think tank that maintains a database of proven instances of election fraud, lists 383 cases of false voter registration between 1982 and 2025.
Abby Patkin is a general assignment news reporter whose work touches on public transit, crime, health, and everything in between.
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