US says student fled to China after being charged with voting illegally in Michigan

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ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — A Chinese national who was charged with voting illegally in Michigan last fall has fled the U.S., federal authorities said Friday.

The man, who is not a U.S. citizen, had surrendered his Chinese passport in November and was told not to leave Michigan. But he traveled to China from Detroit in January by showing another passport, the FBI said in a court filing.

An arrest warrant was issued in April after he failed to appear at two court hearings in Ann Arbor, where he had been a student at the University of Michigan. He was facing charges of perjury and attempting to vote as an unauthorized elector, a felony.

Only citizens can vote in federal elections, and every voter must attest to U.S. citizenship when registering. The student was accused of lying about his citizenship when he registered to vote and then casting a ballot during an early voting period.

He now faces a federal charge, though the U.S. does not have an extradition treaty with China.