LODI, Calif. — Lodi City Councilmember Shakir Khan called the election crimes allegations against him 'false claims' in an interview with ABC10 outside his home Saturday.
Khan said he is not resigning from his council seat despite initially agreeing to resign according to Lodi Mayor Mikey Hothi.
Khan faces 14 felony charges related to election crimes.
Saturday afternoon, ABC10 spoke with Khan for the first time since his arrest Thursday and we asked Khan for his response to the allegations.
"All those allegations are allegations and I will fight them in the court of law," he said. "I would like the public to withhold their judgements and do not make any assumption and let the court decide what's right and what's wrong."
Khan was released Friday night after his arrest Thursday on suspicion of fraudulently casting votes and registering a fictitious person, among other charges.
"This is just fake and false allegations," said Khan. "I'm looking forward to clearing my name and I'm going to continue to serve the people of my district."
He believes the charges may be targeted.
"Everybody knows that they're targeting because I'm different and I'm from minority," said Khan. "They're all false claims and time will tell what's right and what's wrong."
In a press conference Thursday, the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office said deputies found 41 mail-in ballots at Khan's home and 71 names were registered to his home or cell phone number.
The charges stem from the 2020 election.
"The first time they raided my house, they could have done that back then. Why right now at the end of my term?" said Khan. "They raided my house three times. My kids are still in trauma."
Khan also addressed his resignation while speaking to ABC10, saying "I did not resign from the City Council seat. I did not authorize anybody to release any statement on my behalf and I think what happened was — it was totally wrong that the mayor went into the lobby, a booking room, and just, under the pressure, asked me to resign. It was wrong."
The city's website lists Khan's seat for District 4 as vacant, listing that the resignation was received Feb. 16, 2023.
On Friday, a Superior Court Judge allowed Khan to be released on his own recognizance, but with conditions; Khan must wear a GPS ankle tracking device.
Khan is set to appear in court next week for arraignment.
