Hennepin County Prosecutors Charge O'Keefe and Higby

James O'Keefe and Cam Higby face felony charges in Hennepin County following a Wednesday announcement by the county attorney's office. The charges allege the two men committed identity theft and unlawful voting during visits to polling places on Aug. 11, 2024.

County Attorney Mary Moriarty stated that O'Keefe and Higby provided the names of registered voters to poll workers without the voters' knowledge or consent. The pair did not sign the oath required before receiving a ballot, but they did misrepresent their identities under Minnesota law.

The men utilized a state process called vouching, which allows a registered voter to verify the identity of up to eight others in the same precinct. Staff at residential facilities may also vouch for residents. Moriarty noted that police later interviewed the registered voters whose names were used and found that the names of deceased voters were also included.

O'Keefe and Higby wore disguises and used hidden cameras to film the encounters. O'Keefe posted the footage on social media in August, stating the pair wore Muslim garb, including a niqab, to expose the vouching system. Moriarty said the office of Secretary of State Steve Simon alerted her to the conduct. She added that the men are not in jail and will receive a court summons.

Secretary Simon said in a statement that the men aimed to cast doubt on election laws that have been in force for over fifty years. He claimed they revealed their ignorance of how those laws work while exposing themselves to legal trouble. Simon added that the office has zero tolerance for lying and disruptions at polling places.

O'Keefe founded Project Veritas, a group he led until 2023. In 2024, he and the group settled a lawsuit with a Pennsylvania postmaster over claims of voter fraud in the 2020 election. Higby previously worked as a journalist for conservative outlets and currently operates a YouTube channel with 285,000 subscribers. Neither man responded immediately to requests for comment on Wednesday.

The case coincides with President Donald Trump's ongoing claims of voter fraud. His administration has sought voter roll lists from Democratic-controlled states to identify alleged noncitizen voters.