Butleng Taing
Introduction
Butleng Taing is a 43-year-old Cambodian national living in Long Beach, California. On October 28, 2026, a federal grand jury indicted him for making a false statement under oath on a naturalization application, charging that he denied under penalty of perjury that he had ever claimed to be a U.S. citizen or registered to vote — after, prosecutors allege, registering to vote in California and casting ballots in two general elections. Taing is one of three foreign nationals living in Los Angeles County indicted the same day in three separate indictments announced by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California. The case is at the charging stage: an indictment merely contains allegations, and Taing is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Background Information
The charge arises from Taing’s application to become a naturalized United States citizen — a form on which applicants declare facts under penalty of perjury, including whether they have ever claimed to be U.S. citizens or registered to vote in U.S. elections. According to the indictment, the false statements came in August 2025, and the conduct they concealed stretched back years: a California voter registration made under a false oath of citizenship in July 2021, and votes cast in the November 2022 and November 2024 general elections. Taing was announced alongside two co-defendants charged in separate indictments returned the same day: Sulema de León, 35, a Mexican national of Long Beach charged over a September 2019 naturalization application, and Rouzbeh Seyamaknejad, a 63-year-old Canadian national of Rancho Palos Verdes charged over a January 2024 form — three separate cases arising from the same election-integrity push.
The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation
Charged, not convicted. Taing was charged in a federal indictment returned October 28, 2026. An indictment merely contains allegations; all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
According to the indictment, Taing in August 2025 knowingly made false statements on his form to become a naturalized U.S. citizen by declaring under penalty of perjury to never having claimed to be a U.S. citizen and that he had never registered to vote in any U.S. election. Prosecutors allege the declaration was untrue in both respects: he registered to vote in California in July 2021, falsely stating under oath that he was a U.S. citizen, and then voted in the general elections in November 2022 and November 2024. Of the three defendants announced together, Taing is the one the release alleges both registered and voted twice in federal-election years. The charge — making a false statement under oath on a naturalization application — carries, if convicted, a statutory maximum sentence of five years in federal prison. Homeland Security Investigations is investigating the matter, and Assistant United States Attorneys Michael Wheat and Minjae Kim of the Orange County Office are prosecuting the case.
Public Reaction and Consequences
The public response documented in the release comes from the U.S. Attorney’s Office itself, which presented the three indictments as the leading edge of an election-fraud enforcement effort. “The grand jury has started returning indictments against noncitizens who registered to vote, including those who voted in prior elections,” said First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli, framing the office’s posture as one in which safeguarding the integrity of elections remains a top priority and promising it “will continue investigating and charging election fraud.” The phrase “has started” signaled that further indictments were anticipated. The immediate consequence for Taing is the federal charge itself: a felony accusation that he lied under oath on his naturalization form, carrying a statutory maximum of five years in prison upon conviction. No verdict, plea, or sentence exists, and the release itself stresses that the allegations have not been tested.
Current Status
Taing’s case is pending as of late October 2026. The indictment was returned on October 28, 2026, and announced the same day by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California in Santa Ana. Homeland Security Investigations is investigating, and Assistant United States Attorneys Michael Wheat and Minjae Kim of the Orange County Office are prosecuting. If convicted, Taing would face a statutory maximum sentence of five years in federal prison. The release does not state an arraignment date, whether a plea has been entered, or a trial date, and it records no response from Taing. He is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Impact on Their Career/Life
The release says nothing about Taing’s occupation, family, or personal circumstances beyond his age, nationality, and city of residence, so its account of impact is confined to the criminal case and what it touches. He now faces prosecution on a felony charge that goes directly to his pursuit of United States citizenship: the government alleges he lied under oath on the naturalization form itself, about citizenship claims and about voting. A conviction would carry a statutory maximum of five years in federal prison, and the underlying allegations — a registration made under a false oath in 2021 and ballots cast in 2022 and 2024 — now form part of a public court record while the case is pending. Any professional or personal consequences beyond the case are not documented in the available record.
Sources
- U.S. Attorney’s Office, Central District of California, “Federal Grand Jury Indicts 3 Foreign Nationals Who Registered to Vote in California, Charging Them with Lying on Naturalization Forms,” October 28, 2026 — source