DOJ Charges 16 Noncitizens With Illegal Voting Weeks Before Midterms

The Justice Department on Friday announced charges against 16 noncitizens in North Carolina, New York and Idaho accused of illegal voting, false claims of U.S. citizenship and related election crimes, according to a department press release. One of the defendants is in the country illegally, the department said.

The announcement lands less than three weeks before the Nov. 3 midterm elections. A federal grand jury returned the North Carolina indictments, and federal agents then arrested the defendants, according to the Justice Department.

Video: U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle Announces 10 Noncitizens Indicted for Illegal Voting in NC 2024 Election pic.twitter.com/SSTPG1X8of

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Ten indicted in North Carolina

In the Eastern District of North Carolina, 10 noncitizens were charged for allegedly voting illegally in the 2024 elections, according to the Justice Department. The department said each was charged with falsely claiming citizenship to vote, and all but one were also charged with voting by an alien.

The department identified one defendant as Eduardd Omar Majano Sosa, 22, an illegal alien from El Salvador, who it said registered to vote in 2024 and voted in that year’s general election. The other nine are lawful permanent residents from Germany, Jamaica, Haiti, Panama, Canada and the former Yugoslavia, according to the release.

Several are accused of voting across many years. The department said one 60-year-old defendant registered in 2008 and voted in seven general elections from 2008 to 2024, plus a 2019 special election and a 2012 primary. A 71-year-old German national allegedly registered in 2004 and voted in eight general elections, and a 69-year-old Canadian national allegedly first registered in 1998, according to the Justice Department.

Five arrested in upstate New York

In the Northern District of New York, five lawful permanent residents were arrested and charged with voting by an alien, according to the Justice Department. CBS6 Albany reported the defendants are two British nationals from Ballston Spa and Glens Falls, a Bosnian national from Clifton Park, and two Canadian nationals from Tupper Lake and Albany, and that they appeared in court on Oct. 13 and 14.

The charges carry a maximum sentence of one year in prison and a fine of up to $100,000, CBS6 Albany reported. The complaints allege the five knew they were not U.S. citizens and knowingly voted in elections for federal office, according to the station.

“The law is clear that only U.S. citizens can vote in elections that have candidates running for federal office. When non-citizens vote, the public loses confidence in the integrity of the election process and its outcome,” First Assistant U.S. Attorney John A. Sarcone III said in a written statement, according to the National Post. “Our office, working with our federal law enforcement partners, will work tirelessly to prosecute those who should not have voted, but did.”

One Canadian defendant, a 57-year-old Albany resident, was stopped in August at a border crossing near Buffalo and questioned about her voting history, the National Post reported, citing a criminal complaint. According to the complaint, she told an agent she had once asked an immigration official whether she could vote and was told “not until you get your permanent residency card,” and she allegedly said she had voted in every presidential election for 30 years, the paper reported.

Idaho case

In the District of Idaho, a 48-year-old Canadian national and lawful permanent resident was charged with illegal voting by an alien for allegedly voting in the 2022 general election, the Justice Department said.

The department has also filed a separate complaint against California over its voter list, according to the Justice Department’s website.

The Justice Department noted that a complaint, indictment or information is only an accusation and that all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.

Reporting by Daily Beltway.