Six Foreign Nationals Face Charges for Illegal U.S. Voting
Six foreign nationals charged with illegal voting in U.S. elections, including false citizenship claims.
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Six foreign nationals are facing federal charges for allegedly voting illegally in U.S. elections, according to the Department of Justice. The defendants are accused of violating election laws by registering and voting in the 2022 and 2024 federal general elections, the DOJ announced on October 22.
Charges and Defendants
Among the six defendants are two Cuban nationals, two Canadian nationals, one Ecuadorian national, and one Brazilian national. Federal prosecutors charged three of them with making false statements about their U.S. citizenship status and illegally voting, while the other three face lesser illegal voting charges.
Jamie Orlando Sosa Sardina, a Cuban national, allegedly registered to vote in 2022 and voted in both the 2022 and 2024 federal general elections. Martha Haydee Desantis, an Ecuadorian national, re-registered to vote in 2024 and allegedly voted in both elections. Lise Marie Johnson, a Canadian national, registered to vote in 2021 and voted in the 2022 election.
Each of Sardina, Desantis, and Johnson faces a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison for the false statement charge and one year for illegal voting. The remaining defendants, Luis Manuel Perez, Diane Wendy Curley, and Pedro Igor A. Franco, face charges of illegal voting as non-citizens.
Broader Federal Efforts
The charges come amid broader federal efforts to investigate noncitizen voting, including fraudulent registration applications and ballots cast in multiple elections. Homeland Security Investigations, the Florida Department of State’s Office of Election Crimes, and the Hernando County Supervisor of Elections investigated the cases.
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin emphasized that the department will pursue non-citizens who vote in U.S. elections, stating, “Our message to aliens who vote in American elections is clear: we will find you, arrest you, and you will face the consequences, including criminal charges and deportation.”
Legal and Political Context
A federal judge recently issued a preliminary injunction restricting certain DHS election investigations in nine states, including California, Connecticut, and New York. The judge ruled that the plaintiffs were likely to prevail on their claim that DHS’s actions violated the Voting Rights Act.
Meanwhile, the DOJ has been actively pursuing cases related to noncitizen voting, including a recent indictment of a resident alien in Minnesota and an arrest of a non-citizen accused of falsely claiming U.S. citizenship to vote in the 2024 election.
Source: PJ Media
