BOSTON — The foreign national charged with illegally voting in four straight Massachusetts presidential elections from Saugus didn't just commit voter fraud at random — federal records reveal he voted as a Democrat every single time the Commonwealth recorded his party preference.
He pulled it off because nobody ever asked him for ID. Massachusetts does not require any form of photo identification to vote — voters simply state under oath that they are eligible. Sunny Manhertz, 40, a Canadian citizen who has lived in Massachusetts as a green-card holder since 1987, allegedly did so in 2016. No one checked. He then walked into a Saugus polling place every two years for the next eight years and pulled a ballot.
According to the federal criminal complaint filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Boston, Manhertz voted as a Democrat in Massachusetts election after Massachusetts election for more than a decade.
The pattern, per his voting history:
- April 30, 2013 — Special State Primary (Everett) — Democratic ballot
- September 1, 2020 — State Primary (Saugus) — Democratic ballot
- March 5, 2024 — Presidential Primary (Saugus) — Democratic ballot
Zero Republican primary ballots. Zero independent or unenrolled status.
U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts.
Massachusetts only records party preference on primary ballots — in general elections, voters receive the same ballot regardless of party. Manhertz also cast ballots in the 2012, 2016, 2020, and 2024 presidential general elections, plus eight other state and local elections. Those records don't capture party choice.
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But his three documented party choices were all Democratic.
U.S. Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts.
Feds widening the probe
The complaint also confirms that Homeland Security Investigations is examining voter rolls in multiple Massachusetts communities as part of a wider non-citizen voting investigation — meaning the Saugus arrest is unlikely to be the last.
"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," HSI Special Agent Andrew DePatto wrote in the affidavit supporting the complaint.
"Homeland Security Investigations has also identified, and continues to investigate, non-citizens who have registered to vote and/or voted in other Massachusetts communities."
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DePatto, who joined HSI in May 2024, brings an unusual credential to the Saugus case: before becoming a federal agent, he was the Election Coordinator for the Town of Saugus — the same town clerk's office that processed Manhertz's voter registration paperwork in 2016.
U.S. Representative Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts.
The original case
Manhertz was arrested at his Saugus home on May 11 after federal agents arrived with a printout of his voting history. He allegedly confirmed he had signed the 2016 voter registration form claiming U.S. citizenship — and admitted he had voted in every federal election since.
He faces two federal counts: unlawful voting by aliens (18 U.S.C. § 611), and procurement, casting, or tabulation of fraudulent ballots (52 U.S.C. § 20511(2)(b)).
These are allegations. Manhertz is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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