The United States Department of Justice has announced charges and guilty pleas against 12 individuals in connection with alleged illegal voting, fraudulent voter registration and other election-related offences across several states.
The cases, announced on Monday, September 28, 2026, include allegations that non-U.S. citizens voted in federal elections, falsely claimed American citizenship to register or vote, and made false statements in applications for U.S. citizenship. The DOJ also announced a separate case involving the alleged destruction of about 300 mail-in ballots.
Department of Justice
Among those charged is 67-year-old Nigerian national George Olawunmi Johnson, a lawful permanent resident in Kansas.
According to the DOJ, Johnson faces four charges: falsely claiming U.S. citizenship, falsely claiming citizenship in order to vote, fraudulent election conduct and voting by an alien in a federal election.
Prosecutors allege that Johnson falsely indicated that he was a U.S. citizen when he registered to vote in Johnson County, Kansas, in February 2010. They further allege that he cast a ballot in the November 2024 election despite not being a U.S. citizen.
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The DOJ also announced cases involving nationals from Canada, Haiti, Jamaica, Venezuela, Mexico, Trinidad and Tobago and the Philippines.
In Florida, 75-year-old Canadian national Christiane Vinette Young was charged with three counts of voting by an alien, relating to the 2022 primary, 2022 general and 2024 general elections.
Haitian national Valery Zidor, who was on Temporary Protected Status when the alleged offences occurred, pleaded guilty to three federal charges after prosecutors said he falsely claimed to be a U.S. citizen to register and vote in the 2024 general election.
Department of Justice
In New Jersey, Jamaican national Patrick Terrance Reid and Venezuelan national Danubis Bernat, both lawful permanent residents, were charged with allegedly voting in federal elections while not being U.S. citizens. Prosecutors also accused both of making false statements in their applications for U.S. citizenship.
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Four cases were also announced in Pennsylvania involving Haitian, Mexican and Trinidad and Tobago nationals over alleged illegal voting and fraudulent voter registration.
In Texas, Mexican national Imelda Magallanes was charged with allegedly voting in the November 2024 federal election after registering to vote in 2020.
In Hawaii, Filipino national Bernadette Acaso pleaded guilty to unlawfully voting as an alien after casting a mail-in ballot in the 2024 election.
Department of Justice
Separately, in Utah, former U.S. Postal Service letter carrier Damon Matai Seei was charged with allegedly destroying or delaying mail entrusted to him. The DOJ said approximately 300 mail-in ballots intended for registered voters in Eagle Mountain were among the mail allegedly discarded ahead of the June 2026 primary election.
Department of Justice
The DOJ said the cases form part of its ongoing enforcement of federal election laws, covering unlawful voting by non-citizens, fraudulent voter registration, false citizenship claims and interference with election materials.
However, the department stressed that criminal complaints, indictments and informations contain allegations only, and that all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
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