Justice Department Charges 48 Noncitizens in Election Cases Across Five States
The Justice Department said Monday that 48 noncitizens face election-related charges in California, Pennsylvania, Florida, New York and Nevada, including allegations of illegal voting, fraudulent registration and false claims of U.S. citizenship.
The Justice Department announced Monday that 48 noncitizens have been charged in election-related cases in five states. The cases cover allegations of illegal voting in federal elections, fraudulent voter registration, false claims of U.S. citizenship and false statements made during naturalization proceedings, according to the department.
Of the 48, 28 were charged in California. Federal agents arrested the California defendants last Monday in raids across the state under a statewide effort called Operation Protect the Vote. Prosecutors said the defendants were identified from a list of more than 20,000 suspected noncitizens who allegedly registered to vote in California.
One California defendant named in court papers is Omar Alexander Munoz, 72, a Belizean national. Prosecutors said he registered to vote in September 2019 while claiming to be a U.S. citizen, then voted in elections in 2020, twice in 2022 and in 2024. Prosecutors also said he stated under oath in a naturalization application that he had never claimed U.S. citizenship.
Cases in other states
In Pennsylvania, prosecutors charged several noncitizens with voting in federal elections, including Alfredo Santiesteban, 73, a Cuban national whom the department identified as being in the country illegally. In Florida, six defendants in the Middle District of Florida, including Cuban, Ecuadorian, Canadian and Brazilian nationals, were accused of voting in federal elections in 2022 or 2024 after falsely claiming U.S. citizenship to register or vote.
In New York, cases include allegations that noncitizens submitted fraudulent registration applications and voted in federal elections. The Nevada case involves a Filipino national accused of voting in an election that included contests for president, the Senate and the House of Representatives.
A dispute over California ballots
The charges arrive during a dispute between the Justice Department and California over mail ballots. The department earlier told California counties to segregate mail ballots of suspected noncitizens, warning of criminal liability. The department also sent letters to every county in California asking officials to help identify noncitizen voters, and sued California Secretary of State Shirley Weber and the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder, according to the New York Post.
The department said the alleged conduct covered multiple election cycles, including the 2020, 2022 and 2024 general elections, as well as other elections and voter-registration activity.
Reporting based on coverage by Newsmax and the New York Post.
