LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Michigan Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, now seeking to become the state’s next governor, has repeatedly touted Michigan’s elections as “secure and safe.” But an undercover investigation released by O’Keefe Media Group (OMG) is raising new and disturbing questions about who remains on the state’s voter rolls – and how easily someone listed as an eligible voter could potentially receive a ballot.
The investigation, highlighted in a new video with James O’Keefe, identified two Iranian nationals whom OMG says federal records show are non-U.S. citizens: Afshin Masheli and Fazlollah Haritash. Both, however, according to the report, remain registered to vote in Michigan.
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That would be concerning under ordinary circumstances. It’s even more eye-opening while the United States is engaged in an armed conflict with Iran.
Adding another layer of concern is the fact that they are both on the Homeland Security’s website as “Worst of the Worst” because of their offenses against American citizens. The website highlights criminal illegal aliens arrested by ICE, including individuals convicted of serious and violent crimes.
Masheli is listed as being arrested for a sex assault. Digging deeper, you will find him on Michigan’s Sex Offender registry as having been convicted in 2003 in Kent County of criminal sexual conduct 1st degree (personal injury).
Masheli is listed as being arrested for a sex assault. Digging deeper, you will find him on Michigan’s Sex Offender registry as having been convicted in 2003 in Kent County of criminal sexual conduct 1st degree (personal injury).
Under Michigan law, that conviction involves sexual penetration accomplished through force or coercion that causes personal injury to the victim. “Personal injury” can include bodily injury or mental anguish. First-degree criminal sexual conduct is among Michigan’s most serious sex crimes and is a felony punishable by up to life in prison.
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Masheli’s polling place? An elementary school. And no, he’s not in jail – and has not been deported either. We know this because OMG tracked him down to ask him if he was going to vote in the primary.
When OMG approached Masheli on primary day and asked him if he planned to vote, Masheli responded on camera that he was “probably going a little bit later.”
Voting for a long time.
Federal records cited by OMG say Masheli entered the U.S. from Iran on a visitor visa in 1991, was later ordered removed following criminal convictions and remains subject to a final removal order. OMG also found Michigan’s voter roll data documenting that Masheli voted in 2016, 2020, and 2024 despite his non-citizen status.
The other non-citizen that OMG looked into was Haritash, whom is also from Iran, and who is also listed on the Worst of the Worst website. They document him as being arrested in Detroit for assault, computer crimes and lascivious acts with a minor and sexual assault. He is currently incarcerated – but still on the list to be able to vote according to the OMG investigation.
On the list? Apparently that’s good enough.
And that is precisely what OMG’s investigation set out to test: whether simply appearing on the voter rolls was enough for these men to be cleared to vote at their assigned polling locations. OMG sent an undercover reporter to Masheli’s polling location at McDonald Elementary School in Dearborn and provided his name. According to the video transcript, a poll worker found Masheli in the system. When the undercover reporter specifically asked whether it was okay to vote despite not being a U.S. citizen, the worker responded, “All I know is you’re registered.” The reporter then asked, “As long as I’m registered, I can vote, right?” and received a “Yes.”
And then there’s the guy in prison.
OMG says Haritash, another Iranian national identified by federal records as a non-citizen, was also still registered – with a polling location at the Tawheed Center mosque in Farmington Hills.
But there’s an additional problem: Haritash is reportedly incarcerated following his felony conviction involving a minor. Michigan restores voting rights after incarceration, but someone currently serving a jail or prison sentence cannot vote. Nevertheless, OMG’s undercover reporter says a poll worker confirmed Haritash was still listed at the precinct. So if you’re on the list, you’re on the list. And you don’t even have to give an ID. You just have to sign an affidavit saying you are who you say you are and that you are a U.S. citizen in a signed affadavit.
What’s going on with Michigan’s top election official, who is hoping to be the state’s next governor?
Benson, who is now running for governor, remains Michigan’s chief election officer. Her department has maintained that Michigan elections are secure, and Benson said in July that “every valid vote counts.” But what about non-valid votes? They appear to be able to be counted too.
Michigan News Source reached out to Benson’s office for an explanation of how the two Iranian nationals identified in OMG’s investigation remained listed in Michigan’s e-pollbooks despite the questions surrounding their citizenship and eligibility to vote. We also asked what safeguards are in place to prevent an ineligible person who appears in the e-pollbook from receiving and casting a ballot. Michigan News Source will update this story if Benson’s office responds.
