Chinese National Student At The University Of Michigan Facing New Federal Charge

Sunday, June 8, 2025, 7:30 A.M. ET. 3 Minute Read, By Jennifer Hodges: Englebrook Independent News,

DETROIT, MI. – On Tuesday, June 3, 2025, a former University of Michigan student, a Chinese national from the People’s Republic of China, who was initially charged in January 2025 with state election fraud offenses, was charged by federal criminal complaint with election fraud and bail jumping violations.

     According to U.S. Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon, Jr., Haoxiang Gao, a citizen and Chinese national, was charged federally with False Claims to Register or Vote; Unlawful Voting by Aliens; and late last month, Gao was additionally charged with Flight to Avoid Prosecution.

According To The Charging Information Unsealed In The Complaint

     According to the charging information unsealed in the federal criminal complaint, it is alleged that Gao was a college student attending the University of Michigan who illegally registered to vote in the days before the 2024 presidential election, apparently using his University of Michigan student ID and then cast a ballot in the election at a polling located at the University of Michigan Museum of Art, in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

     The criminal complaint further alleges that Gao made false statements regarding his citizenship on his prior voter registration application and his early voting application. After being charged with Michigan State offenses, the State Court granted Gao a $5,000 personal bond with conditions that he does not leave the State of Michigan and that he surrenders his passport to the court for the remainder of the ensuing court proceedings.

Gao Fled The United States With A Different Passport

     Gao did surrender his passport, but on January 19, 2025, the day before the Trump administration took office in Washington, D.C., Gao jumped bond and fled the United States on a flight bound for Shanghai, China. Customs and Border Protection records revealed that Gao passed through Detroit Metropolitan Airport security using a People’s Republic of China passport in his name but bearing a number different from the number on the passport that he surrendered to the University of Michigan Police.

     U.S. Attorney Gorgon stated, “Illegal voting is a serious crime that casts doubt on our elections and serves to disenfranchise United States citizens by diluting their power at the ballot box. But illegal voting by a foreign national who is from a country controlled by a communist party dictatorship with no modern history or tradition of democratic government is beyond pale. I hope today’s charges send a message to foreign nationals, including those who are students at our universities, that we will not tolerate illegal voting.

“The rules of the federal court require us to include a statement that states: The charges outlined in this publication are merely accusations, and the defendant and or defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt.”