Department of Justice charges 16 foreign nationals with election crimes

The Department of Justice announced on Monday charges against 16 foreign nationals for alleged election crimes committed in various parts of the country, including voting illegally, fraudulently registering to vote and making false statements regarding U.S. citizenship.

According to the DOJ, the cases include charges against individuals who, without being U.S. citizens, allegedly voted in federal elections, falsely claimed to be U.S. citizens to register or vote, and made false statements during naturalization proceedings.

In the Middle District of Florida, two legal permanent residents were charged with voting illegally in a federal election. Andrea Catanese, a 60-year-old Italian national, was charged with voting in the 2024 general election, attempting to obtain naturalization illegally and making a false statement related to his naturalization process. According to the indictment, Catanese allegedly falsely stated that he had never voted in a federal election, both in his naturalization application and before an immigration official.

Also in Florida, 37-year-old Terrance Patrick Evans, a Bahamian national, was charged with one count of voting as a non-citizen. According to the indictment, Evans allegedly voted in the 2024 general federal election despite knowing that he was not a U.S. citizen.

In the Eastern District of Louisiana, three legal permanent residents were charged with illegally voting in a federal election. Pedro Pablo Ruiz, a 68-year-old Cuban national, and Zianya Yllaly Zamorano, a 34-year-old Mexican national, were charged with casting their votes in the 2024 general election.

Meanwhile, 56-year-old Nicaraguan Dudley Francisco Zeledon faces two charges related to illegal voting. According to the indictment, he allegedly voted in both the 2024 primary and general elections.

In the Eastern District of Wisconsin, 30-year-old Sara Luma of North Macedonia, a legal permanent resident, was charged with voting illegally as a non-citizen. The complaint alleges that Luma registered to vote on Election Day 2024 and signed the Wisconsin voter registration form, falsely certifying that she was a U.S. citizen. According to the Department of Justice, she later admitted to a federal agent that she had registered and voted on Nov. 5, 2024.

The highest number of charges was filed in the District of Minnesota, where 10 foreign nationals were charged with voting-related offenses.

Among them is the 61-year-old Liberian Bhator Konah Bryan, who is accused of making a false statement of citizenship to register to vote on Oct. 18, 2024.

Edvile Vaidoto Edmunds, a 59-year-old Lithuanian, was charged with illegally voting as a foreign national in Minnesota on Nov. 8, 2022.

Joshua Frederick Kofi Edzie, a 63-year-old Ghanaian, faces two charges of making a false declaration of citizenship to vote and one charge of voting as a non-citizen. According to the indictment, he allegedly voted illegally in Minnesota on Aug. 11 and falsely claimed to be a U.S. citizen in order to vote on Oct. 23, 2024, and Aug. 11, 2026.

Alan Barbu Kargbo, a 48-year-old Liberian, was charged with making a false declaration of citizenship to vote and with voting as a non-citizen. The Department of Justice alleges that he voted illegally in Minnesota and falsely claimed to be a U.S. citizen in order to vote on Nov. 5, 2024.