SAUGUS — Sunny Manhertz, 40, who was residing in Saugus, was arrested and charged with allegedly voting illegally since 2008.

Manhertz, a citizen of Canada, has been charged with one count of “unlawful voting by aliens and one count of the procurement, casting, or tabulation of ballots that are known to be materially false, fictitious, or fraudulent under state law,” according to the Massachusetts District Attorney’s Office.

Manhertz became a lawful permanent resident of the United States on Feb. 25, 1987. In March of 2016, he submitted a Massachusetts Official Voter Registration Form in his name, checking “Yes” in response to the question: “Are you a Citizen of the United States of America?”

The form read: “I hereby swear (affirm) that I am the person named above, that the above information is true, that I AM A CITIZEN OF THE UNITED STATES, that I am not a person under guardianship which prohibits my registering vote, that I am not temporarily or permanently disqualified by law from voting because of corrupt practices in respect to elections, that I am not currently incarcerated for a felony conviction, and that I consider this residence to be my home. Signed under the penalty of perjury.”

Records show that Manhertz voted in multiple federal elections, including 2012, 2016, 2020, and 2024.

In 2019, Manhertz allegedly submitted an I-90 form to the Department of Homeland Security. In response to a question about his legal status, he checked a box stating he was a “Lawful Permanent Resident,” according to the DA’s office.

In an affidavit in support of a criminal complaint against Manhertz, United States Department of Homeland Security Special Agent Andrew DePatto noted the probable cause against Manhertz.

“As part of continuing efforts to investigate criminal violations of federal law, Homeland Security Investigations has examined voter rolls for certain Massachusetts communities to identify non-citizen registration to vote and non-citizen voting in federal elections,” DePatto wrote in the affidavit.

According to records, as of Feb. 12, 2026, there were approximately 22,880 registered voters in town. DePatto wrote, “Investigative efforts have focused on the subset of these voters who are non-citizens.”

In the summary of probable cause, it states that Manhertz never applied for United States citizenship. DePatto reported that he obtained “cell site records” showing that Manhertz had been in the area of the polling station on Nov. 5, 2024.

“The charge of procurement, casting, or tabulation of ballots that are known to be materially false, fictitious, or fraudulent under state law provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000. The charge of unlawful voting by aliens provides for a sentence of up to one year in prison, up to one year of supervised release, and a fine of $100,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case,” according to the DA’s office.

All details are considered allegations, and the defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.