Touhedul Tuhin, who is currently facing federal charges of wire fraud and money laundering, was elected on Wednesday as the Undergraduate Student Government Senator for the College of Aeronautics and Engineering.
In September 2025, Tuhin was charged in a federal criminal complaint in the Western District of New York, along with alleged co-conspirator Iftekhar Latif Nieon. Tuhin stands accused of operating in a fraud scheme in which elderly Americans were targeted for their money.
Following Tuhin’s election win, Kent students across social media reacted angrily to the announcement.
“Why is the the new senator of CAE a convicted felon?????” a comment read under USG’s announcement post. “No rules against it?”
In response to the question of how USG screens its candidates, current president Ivory Kendrick said that candidates are approved based on how they perform in the classroom, and if they follow student conduct. However, Kendrick did not mention if Tuhin’s federal charges were brought up before he became a candidate.
“USG candidates are voted for and elected by the students. Candidates must follow university policies and student conduct procedures to be a part of the Undergraduate Student Government,” Kendrick said. “Their eligibility for election depends on whether they are in good standing at the university.”
Following the reaction to Tuhin’s victory, USG has not released a statement about an accused felon becoming a senator. According to Kendrick, there is a reason for this.
“The current elected general assembly must vote on an official statement to be released,” Kendrick said. “Any further action would have to be addressed by the 2026-2027 general assembly. I will personally be working to help revise the USG election rules and parameters. USG elections and fairness are highly debated issues, and I want to make sure our elections allow for accurate representation of the student body.”
Tuhin is currently facing a long prison sentence, which would hypothetically prevent him from carrying out part of his term or any further positions of office in USG. Because Tuhin is innocent until proven guilty, Kendrick was unable to say what would become of Tuhin’s term or whether the 2026-2027 general assembly would take any action.
“I can only speak to what the present facts are,” Kendrick said. “Since it is still an ongoing investigation, any comment on anything further would just be speculation.”
Gage Wellman is the sports editor. Contact him at [email protected].
