DOJ indicts 16 individuals in alleged noncitizen voting and election fraud cases
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The Justice Department charged 16 people across several states with illegal voting, voter-registration fraud and related offenses, including accusations that noncitizens cast ballots in recent federal elections.
The Justice Department announced federal charges against 16 defendants in Texas, Idaho, Georgia, Massachusetts, Wisconsin, New Jersey and Michigan for alleged illegal voting, false citizenship claims and other election-related crimes. Prosecutors say eight of the accused are non-citizens who allegedly voted in federal elections in 2022 and 2024, while others are charged with fraudulent voter registration, passport and identification fraud, wire fraud and firearm offenses.
In Georgia, a Venezuelan national and DACA recipient is accused of voting nine times between 2008 and 2024. An Idaho resident of Mexican nationality faces charges for falsely claiming citizenship to register and vote, as well as wire-fraud and firearms allegations. A New Jersey lawful permanent resident is alleged to have voted in 2018, 2020 and submitted a provisional ballot in the 2024 presidential election, with additional claims tied to her naturalization paperwork.
"Let this be a warning to anyone trying to cheat and undermine our elections," the Justice Department wrote in a social-media post.
Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald said the current administration has charged 50 non-citizens with illegal voting, emphasizing that "America's elections are for Americans." Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin noted that more than 1,620 cases are open, resulting in 151 arrests, and that investigations continue into hundreds of thousands of suspected violations.
The department stressed that the indictments are accusations and that all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.