LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Former University of Michigan student and Chinese National Haoxiang Gao fled to China to avoid prosecution after voting illegally in the 2024 presidential elections.

The 19-year-old student held a Green Card and a Florida driver’s license, but he was not a U.S. citizen. Gao admitted to casting a ballot illegally at a polling location on campus on Oct. 27. He was charged by the state of Michigan on Oct. 30 since he lied about his citizenship while registering to vote.

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Gao surrendered his passport during his arraignment and was court-ordered to remain in Michigan while on a $5,000 bond for criminal charges. But he boarded Delta flight 389 from Detroit International Airport to Shanghai on Jan. 19, using a passport in his name with a different serial number.

Since Gao fled the country, he is charged with flight to avoid prosecution, which is a felony punishable by up to five years in federal prison.

After state authorities found out that Gao had voted illegally in last year’s elections, Washtenaw County Prosecutor Eli Savit and Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson issued a joint statement in which they said noncitizens who attempt to vote fraudulently will be prosecuted to “the fullest extent of the law.”

“Noncitizen voting is an extremely isolated and rare event,” they said in the statement. “Investigations in multiple states and nationwide have found no evidence of large numbers of noncitizens registering to vote. Even less common is a noncitizen actually casting a ballot. When it does happen, we take it extremely seriously. Our elections are secure and Michigan’s state and local election officials carefully follow the law.”