Justice Department Announces Charges Against 16 Individuals for Election Crimes Nationwide
The U.S. Department of Justice announced on October 12 that 16 individuals, including one unlawfully present alien, have been charged across multiple federal districts with illegal voting, fraudulent voter registration, and related election crimes ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
According to the Justice Department, the cases include voting by aliens in federal elections, false claims of U.S. citizenship in order to register or vote, voting on behalf of the deceased, voting multiple times in the same election, false statements on citizenship applications, and unlawful procurement of citizenship.
In the District of New Mexico, Patrick Perea, 62, was indicted by a federal grand jury on one count of fraudulent voting for allegedly submitting his deceased wife's absentee ballot in the November 2024 general election. In the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, four people were charged with voting by an alien: Hacina Saadi, 48, an unlawfully present French national; Pakistani nationals Jamil Ahmad, 50, and Nighat Jamil, 47, both lawful permanent residents; and Portuguese national Paulo Silva, 54, also a lawful permanent resident. In the Southern District of Alabama, Peruvian national Silvia Delgado Phelps, 78, and Jamaican national Staciann Pollion Davis, 42, were charged with voting as aliens. Additional cases were brought in Missouri, Idaho, New Jersey, Ohio, Hawaii, and Kentucky.
The Justice Department noted that indictments and informations are merely allegations and that all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.
(Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs)
Related: America's Electoral System (4): The Midterms: What Is on the Ballot on November 3, 2026
Related: Cuban Green-Card Holder Charged After Voting in Elections for 20 Years; USCIS Assisted the Case
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 美国司法部大楼（Wikimedia Commons，CC BY-SA 3.0）
