Part 2: FBI Declassifies Alleged CCP Plot to Subvert the 2020 Election: Konnech and the Erosion of Electoral Trust
- Pure Integrity Michigan Elections
- Jun 19
- 8 min read
Updated: Jun 25
By Patrice Johnson, Chair and Founder, Michigan Fair Elections Institute
June 19, 2025
In Part 1, we examined the FBI’s arrests during the first week of June of three Chinese nationals for trying to smuggle alleged pathogens and biological materials into University of Michigan laboratories. Week two of June, FBI Director Kash Patel declassified a memorandum exposing a 2020 CCP scheme to produce tens of thousands of fraudulent U.S. driver’s licenses, designed to enable illegal voter registrations and mail-in ballots favoring U.S. Presidential candidate Joe Biden (Just the News, June 16, 2025; and Just the News, June 17, 2025).
Here, Part 2 examines Konnech, a Michigan-based election software firm entangled in a 2022 data breach and a now-canceled Department of Defense contract, both of which raise concerns about CCP influence and U.S. security policies.
Konnech’s unchecked penetration into federal and state government underscore the urgent need to safeguard our electoral integrity and homeland against foreign encroachment. Michigan, as a critical swing state, is particularly vulnerable, as registrants may sign up online using a driver’s license or last four digits of a Social Security number, the voter rolls are inaccurate and bloated, and citizenship and residency checks are, at best, ineffective.
Konnech’s Michigan Operations: A Breach of Trust
Konnech Corporation, based in East Lansing, Michigan, created PollChief, a platform to manage poll worker schedules, training, payroll, and communications. Detroit contracted Konnech for $320,000 until October 2022, after Los Angeles County authorities arrested Konnech’s CEO, Eugene Yu, for allegedly stealing poll worker data and storing it on servers in China (AP, CEO of election software firm held on ID info theft charges).
Detroit canceled its contract with Konnech, and Janice Winfrey, Detroit City Clerk, assured residents that local poll worker data remained secure.
Konnech’s role focused exclusively on poll worker hiring and administration, so it had access to all these employees’ personally identifiable information (PII).
The breach compels a person to wonder: If a foreign power gains access to the protected PII of election administrators—their names, home addresses, and Social Security numbers—what leverage might it wield?
The sanctity of our elections depends on the inviolability of those who uphold them.
The Canceled DoD Contract: A Persistent Warning Ignored?
Konnech’s troubles extend beyond civilian elections. In 2016, under the Obama administration, the Department of Defense awarded Konnech a $1,998,999 contract to provide electronic voting services for U.S. military personnel and citizens overseas. Konnech’s role? To facilitate absentee-ballot voting through the Federal Voting Assistance Program (Michigan Fair Elections Institute, Oct. 14, 2022).
The DoD contract relied on Konnech’s software, hosted on servers in China and managed by Chinese contractors, raising immediate security concerns. Three years later in 2019, the DoD canceled the contract, citing risks of foreign access to sensitive voter data and potential CCP exploitation (Western Montana News, Oct. 18, 2022).
Even so, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, a public-private partnership agency with close ties to Michigan’s Governor and the state Executive Branch, supported Konnech with a $306,000 grant in 2021.
Montana legislators, alarmed at the DoD revelations, brought to light the state’s $2.9 million contract ties to servers in China and Chinese contractors. They urged their Attorney General to halt Konnech’s voting software pending investigation.
Other jurisdictions, such as DeKalb County, Georgia, persisted in using Konnech on condition the firm house its data on Georgia servers (Georgia Record, Oct. 5, 2022).
But former CIA officer Sam Faddis warned that Konnech’s “superadministration” access for Chinese contractors risked spyware or data theft (Natural News, Oct. 11, 2022). Superadministration, super admin, provides a user with the highest level of administrative privileges within a system.
In addition, Konnech’s subsidiary, Jinhua Yulian, developed election software for Chinese authorities until 2021 and sought government contracts in 2018 with links to Jinhua Hongzheng, a Huawei affiliate (KanekoaTheGreat, June 2, 2025). The U.S., citing national security concerns, has banned or restricted the sale and use of Huawei's telecommunications equipment and devices.
In November 2022, Los Angeles County dismissed charges against Konnech’s President Yu, citing “potential bias,” and paid Konnech a $5 million settlement for reputational harm (Reuters, Nov. 10, 2022).
Lessons Learned
The DoD’s decision to terminate Konnech’s contract, plus Detroit’s and other contract cancelations, serve as a wakeup call, underscoring the need for more rigorous oversight of election technology providers and our elections processes. Konnech’s state and federal connections amplify concerns about foreign access to election systems and personnel, particularly in Michigan, where Konnech was headquartered.
The 2020 Fake License Scheme
"The FBI has located documents which detail alarming allegations related to the 2020 U.S. election, including allegations of interference by the CCP," wrote FBI Director Patel , referring to the Chinese Communist Party. "I have immediately declassified the material and turned the documents over to the Chairman Grassley for further review."
The declassified FBI memorandum (FBI-SJC-IIR-000002), released on June 16, 2025, disclosed a chilling allegation: In August 2020, the CCP allegedly manufactured fraudulent U.S. driver’s licenses, using names and identification numbers sourced from TikTok, to create voter identities for Chinese students and immigrants loyal to the CCP (Just the News, June 17, 2025).
The plot aimed to produce “tens of thousands” of illegal mail-in ballots for Biden. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection intercepted nearly 20,000 counterfeit driver’s licenses, adding power to the allegations. Then the FBI, under the Biden administration’s Department of Justice, suspended the investigation, citing an unverified source with indirect access and raising doubts about the data’s origin.
Foreigner voting
In 2023, U.S. Congressman John Moolenaar (R) urged Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson to “fortify our elections against CCP intrusion” House Select Committee, June 12, 2023.
The issue came to a head after the 2024 Presidential Election when Haoxiang Gao, a Chinese student at the University of Michigan, voted illegally using his student ID.
Even more disturbing, the fraudulent foreigner vote of Gao was detected only after he self-reported that he had voted (Justice.gov, June 3, 2025). Public pressure prompted the Michigan Secretary of State to conduct a review in 2025, and Secretary Benson identified 15 additional noncitizen votes. Michigan.gov, April 2, 2025. She provided no details as to the depth or comprehensiveness of her department's review.
Michigan’s Electoral Vulnerabilities
Michigan’s electoral system falters under structural weaknesses. Bloated voter rolls, shifting voter histories, biased and lax oversight—all create opportunities for fraud. See MFEI original articles:
· Michigan Municipal Hiring Practices under Scrutiny for Political Imbalance and Transparency Issues
· Our Voices Were Heard: President Trump’s Executive Order 14248 and the Future of the Election Integrity Movement
The Path Forward
The bioweapons arrests and the FBI memorandum about fake driver’s licenses, the foreigner voting and Konnech’s breach—all indicate a CCP strategy to undermine U.S. society and elections. In addition, the state and federally supported grants and contracts with a firm connected to a foreign adversary suggest a widespread pattern of inadequate safeguards.
Now, under Trump’s Presidential Order 14248, the federal government is providing free database assistance to elections officials, so the issue of foreign voters can readily be addressed--if our elected officials have the will to do so.
In Part 3, we will examine the need for decisive solutions, including robust voter identification laws, secure election infrastructure, and rigorous vetting of election technology providers.
The preservation of our self-governing republic and free society depends on it.
Citations
· Just the News, “FBI Gives Congress Intel on Alleged Chinese Plot to Create Fake Mail-in Ballots,” June 16, 2025, https://justthenews.com/accountability/political-ethics/fbi-gives-congress-intel-alleged-chinese-plot-create-fake-mail.
· Just the News, “Read FBI Doc: Chinese Government Making Exportation of Fake US Driver’s Licenses,” June 17, 2025, https://justthenews.com/government/federal-agencies/read-fbi-doc-chinese-government-making-exportation-fake-us-drivers.
· CBS News, “Michigan Election Software Firm CEO Arrested,” October 5, 2022, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/election-software-ceo-arrested/.
· NPR, “Election Software CEO Charged with Giving Chinese Contractors Data Access,” October 14, 2022, https://www.npr.org/2022/10/14/1129393901/election-software-ceo-charged-with-giving-chinese-contractors-data-access
· NPR, “LA County Drops Charges Against Konnech CEO,” November 10, 2022, https://www.npr.org/2022/11/10/1135839608/los-angeles-county-dropped-charges-konnech-true-the-vote
· TheBlaze, “Scandal-Plagued Election Software Company Konnech Has Substantial Chinese Links,” October 19, 2022, https://www.theblaze.com/news/report-scandalized-election-software-company-konnech-has-substantial-chinese-links-despite-criminally-charged-ceos-denials
· Natural News, “Konnech Exposed for Political Donations to Democrats,” October 11, 2022, https://naturalnews.com/2022-10-11-konnech-illegal-election-data-china-biden-democrats.html.
· U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Michigan, “Chinese National at the University of Michigan Charged with Illegally Voting,” June 3, 2025, https://www.justice.gov/usao-edmi/pr/chinese-national-university-michigan-charged-illegally-voting-2024-election
· Michigan Department of State, “Review Confirms Noncitizen Voting Is Rare,” April 2, 2025, https://www.michigan.gov/sos/resources/news/2025/04/03/michigan-department-of-state-review-confirms-instances-of-noncitizen-voting-are-extremely-rare
· Bridge Michigan, “Michigan Firm Linked to Election Worker Data Breach,” October 7, 2022, https://www.bridgemi.com/michigan-government/michigan-firm-linked-election-worker-data-breach-detroit-ends-contract.
· Georgia Record, “DeKalb County Continues Using Konnech Despite CEO Arrest,” October 5, 2022, https://www.georgiarecord.com/all-posts/2022/10/05/dekalb-county-will-continue-to-use-konnech-for-election-management-after-ceo-arrested-for-sending-ccp-american-election-worker-personal-data/.
· House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, “Statement on Election Security,” June 12, 2023, https://selectcommitteeontheccp.house.gov.
· Michigan Economic Development Corporation, “Konnech Success Story,” archived 2021, https://web.archive.org/web/2021*/michigan.gov/medc.
· Michigan Fair Elections Institute, “Curious Case of Dept. of Defense Contract Signed During Obama Presidency: Konnech Overseas Voters,” October 14, 2022, https://www.mifairelections.org/post/curious-case-of-dept-of-defense-contract-signed-during-obama-presidency-konnech-overseas-voters.
· Western Montana News, “Montana Legislators Ask AG for Konnech Voting Software Halt Pending Investigation,” October 18, 2022, https://www.westernmt.news/2022/10/14/montana-legislators-ask-ag-for-konnech-investigation/.
Patrice Johnson is founder and chairperson of Michigan Fair Elections (MFEI) and Pure Integrity Michigan Elections (PIME). Patrice has founded five successful technology companies and served as senior executive with a Fortune 50 technology company. In 2017, she authored the book, the Fall and Rise of Tyler Johnson, the basis of the nationally circulated PBS documentary film, Finding Tyler. Questions or comments? Contact patricejohnson2023@proton.me
FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION
INFORMATION REPORT, NOT FINALLY EVALUATED INTELLIGENCE
FBI-SJC-IIR-000002
COUNTRY OR NON-STATE ENTITY: United States; China
SUBJECT: Chinese Government Production and Export of Fraudulent US Driver's Licenses to Chinese Sympathizers in the United States, in Order to Create Tens of Thousands of Fraudulent Mail-in Votes for US Presidential Candidate Joe Biden, in late August 2020
DATE OF INFORMATION: 00 AUG 2020
SUMMARY: None.
SOURCE: A collaborative source with indirect access, none of whose reporting has been corroborated for less than one year.
CONTEXT: The source obtained the information from an identified sub-source, who claimed they obtained the information from unidentified PRC government officials.
WARNING: This is an information report, not finally evaluated intelligence. It is being shared for informational purposes but has not been fully evaluated, integrated with other information, interpreted or analyzed. Receiving agencies are requested not to take action based on this raw reporting without prior coordination with the FBI. Unless a conviction in a criminal proceeding occurs, a presumption of innocence exists for any person being reported on in this IIR.
TEXT:
1. -In late August 2020, the Chinese government had produced a large amount of fraudulent United States driver's licenses that were secretly exported to the United States (NFI). The fraudulent driver's licenses would allow tens of thousands of Chinese students and immigrants sympathetic to the Chinese Communist Party to vote for US Presidential Candidate USPER Joe ((Biden)), despite
FBI-SJC-IIR-000003
not being eligible to vote in the United States. China had collected private US user data from millions of TikTok accounts, to include name, ID and address, which would allow the Chinese government to use real US persons' information to create the fraudulent driver's license. The fraudulent driver's licenses were to include true ID number and true address of US citizens, making them difficult to detect. China planned to use the fraudulent driver's licenses to account for tens of thousands of mail-in votes.
COMMENTS:
1. 1. FBI COMMENTS: A person's address information was not a valid field when creating a TikTok account. It was unspecified how China would attain US address data from the application. 2. Source is available for re-contact.
TOPIC:
INSTR: - US Yes. Contact FBIHQ for additional details DATE OF ACQUISITION: - 24 AUG 2020
POC: -
Please direct Requests for Information (RFIs) to on-or the request is time-sensitive and include a date or time-frame required for a FBI-SJC-IIR-000004 direct declassification should be sent to Requests concerning foreign disclosure and ORCON release should be serial number and subject line of the report in the correspondence.
=================DISSEMINATION===================
AGENCY: CIA; Coast Guard; DEA; DHS; Defense; Energy; FBI; Justice; NGA; NRO; NSA; ODNI; State; Treasury; White House
U.S. MISSION: Beijing
MILITARY: Air Force; Army; DIA; Defense; Navy STATE/LOCAL: None
Learn how We The People can win back and secure OUR Future.
Join us Thursday, June 19, 2025 at 12 PM for
the weekly Coalition Task Force Meeting
To attend this meeting, use the Registration link below . It changes weekly.
After registering, you will receive an email with details on how to join the meeting.
Important Notes and Disclaimers for Election Integrity Network National Working Groups and coalition calls
We operate under strict 501 (c)(4) non-profit, non-partisan guidelines. Please do not make any comments during the call or in the chat that are directly related to any campaign or candidate running for office or could be considered an endorsement or opposition of that candidate.
We always welcome new participants but ask that all newcomers register with their own registration link. Please do not forward your personal link to another participant.
For the security of the call, if you join by phone, you may be asked to unmute and provide your name.
This meeting is for educational purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice or instruction to lobby on behalf of any issue or organization.
Mark your calendars to attend Election Integrity Network's outstanding National Working Groups. Consider also serving as liaison to report to the Task Force Coalition on our Thursday News@Noon meetings.
A link to the full list of National Working Group Meetings is HERE (All meetings are noted in Eastern time.)
The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of Pure Integrity Michigan Elections. Every article written by a PIME author or guest author is generated by the author or editor alone. However, links or images embedded within the article, may have been generated by artificial intelligence.
Comments