Federal prosecutors have charged 16 people across the country with election-related crimes, including voting without U.S. citizenship, casting ballots on behalf of the deceased, and voting twice in the same election, the Justice Department said.
The nationwide cases center on non-citizen voting in federal elections, false claims of American citizenship on registration forms, voting fraud, and illicit citizenship acquisition.
In New Mexico, a federal grand jury accused Patrick Perea, 62, on one count of fraudulent voting. Prosecutors allege Perea attempted to submit his deceased wife’s absentee ballot for the November 2024 general election to the Bernalillo County Clerk’s Bureau of Elections in Albuquerque.
Another example in North Carolina and Alabama involves double voting. Prosecutors accused Forrest Scott Woody, 68, of Hendersonville, North Carolina, of voting more than once in the 2024 general election. According to the indictment, Woody first voted in Henderson County, North Carolina, and then again in Calhoun County, Alabama.
The majority of the remaining allegations concern foreign persons who reportedly voted despite not being US citizens.
In the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, four people are charged with voting by an alien during the 2024 election: Hacina Saadi, 48, a French national living in the country without legal status; Paulo Silva, 54, a Portuguese national and lawful permanent resident; and Jamil Ahmad, 50, and Nighat Jamil, 47, both Pakistani nationals and lawful permanent residents.
In Alabama, two lawful permanent residents were charged under criminal accusations. Silvia Delgado Phelps, 78, a Peruvian national, has been charged with voting in multiple elections in Baldwin County. Staciann Pollion Davis, 42, a Jamaican national, allegedly cast a ballot in Clarke County during the November 2024 election.
In Missouri, federal prosecutors charged Andres Garcia, 64, a Cuban national and lawful permanent resident, with two counts of illicit voting in the November 2022 and November 2024 federal elections. According to authorities, Garcia indicated on voter papers in 2004 and 2013 that he was a citizen, and he ultimately voted in at least 15 elections over two decades, including 13 federal races.
Lizabeth Almonte Rosa, a 24-year-old naturalized citizen from the Dominican Republic, is charged in New Jersey for voting as an alien and improperly obtaining citizenship. According to court records, Rosa was registered to vote before becoming a citizen.
In Ohio, three people are facing federal accusations. Cary Ann Patterson, 59, a British national and lawful permanent resident, allegedly selected “Yes” next to the citizenship question on a Gallia County registration card in 2005 and voted in at least 10 elections, the most recent being in November 2024. In the Northern District of Ohio, Arshed Zuberi, 69, a Pakistani national, and Eliza M. Moss, 63, a Filipino national, were charged with voting in federal elections after signing documents claiming to be US citizens under penalty of election fraud. According to records, Zuberi voted in at least six elections, while Moss participated in a number of primaries and general elections. Moss told investigators that the individual assisting her with the registration form assured her she could vote even though she did not have citizenship.
Other charges include Idaho, Hawaii, and Kentucky. Stanley Walton, an 82-year-old Canadian permanent resident, was accused in Idaho of allegedly voting in the 2022 general election. In Hawaii, Dawid Nalepa, 45, a Polish national who overstayed a visa waiver in 2020 before applying for permanent residency, was charged with illegally voting in the 2024 election despite knowing he was not a citizen. Sandra Madeline Watson, 59, a Canadian national and permanent resident of Kentucky, was charged for voting in a federal election despite the fact that she did not hold US citizenship.
Criminal complaints, indictments, and informations are all formal allegations. Every defendant is deemed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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