DOJ Announces Charges Against 48 Noncitizens for Illegal Voting and Election Crimes Across Five States

The Justice Department announced Monday charges involving 48 aliens across Pennsylvania, California, Florida, New York, and Nevada in connection with illegal voting in federal elections, fraudulent voter registration, and false claims of U.S. citizenship.

The announcement covers cases in the Eastern and Middle Districts of Pennsylvania, all four California districts, the Middle District of Florida, the Northern and Eastern Districts of New York, and the District of Nevada. Forty-seven of the defendants are lawful permanent residents. One, Alfredo Santiesteban, a 73-year-old Cuban national charged in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, is described as an illegal alien who allegedly voted in the 2024 general election.

The 28 California defendants were first announced last week as part of Operation Protect the Vote, a coordinated effort by the state’s four U.S. Attorney’s Offices. Those cases include felony charges of false statements in naturalization applications alongside voting offenses. The remaining 20 defendants face charges in the other four states. Many of the allegations involve voting in the 2022 and 2024 general elections, as well as registration forms on which defendants certified U.S. citizenship under penalty of perjury.

In Pennsylvania, nine defendants face charges of voting by an alien. In the Eastern District, charges include one illegal alien and three lawful permanent residents who allegedly voted in 2022, 2024, or both. In the Middle District, five lawful permanent residents from Kenya, Russia, the Netherlands, and Greece are charged with voting in federal elections in 2022 or 2024. In Florida’s Middle District, six lawful permanent residents from Cuba, Ecuador, Canada, and Brazil face charges that include false claims of citizenship and illegal voting in recent federal elections.

New York cases involve four lawful permanent residents. In the Eastern District, three defendants—an Irish national, a Guyanese national, and a Jamaican national—are charged with voting by an alien after submitting fraudulent registration applications and casting ballots in the 2024 general election. Each admitted in voluntary interviews with federal agents that they were not U.S. citizens and knew they were not eligible to vote. A fourth defendant in the Northern District, a German national, is charged with voting in an election for U.S. Senate and House seats. In Nevada, a Filipino lawful permanent resident is charged with voting by an alien in a 2024 federal election.

California cases detail repeated false statements during naturalization processes. Multiple defendants registered to vote by claiming U.S. citizenship, cast ballots in one or more federal elections, and later denied those actions on naturalization forms. Some voted as recently as the June 2026 primary. Voting by an alien is generally a misdemeanor carrying a maximum of one year in prison; false claims of citizenship and related naturalization offenses are felonies carrying up to five years.

Acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter has previously stated in connection with the California cases that “every illegal vote cancels out the vote of a lawful American citizen.” The Justice Department noted that a complaint, indictment, or information contains only accusations and that all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

The charges come eight days before the November 3 midterm elections. Earlier DOJ announcements this year have detailed similar cases involving dozens of noncitizens across multiple states. Federal law prohibits noncitizens from voting in federal elections. Lawful permanent residents hold green cards but are not U.S. citizens and remain ineligible to vote in federal contests.