Justice Department Charges 63 People in Voting Cases Across 15 States a Day Before the Midterms
The cases, announced November 2, involve alleged illegal voting, false claims of citizenship, and fraudulent registration. Four of the 63 defendants were described by the department as unlawfully present in the country, and all charges remain allegations.
The Justice Department announced on Monday, November 2, that it has charged 63 people across 15 states with election-related crimes, one day before the midterm elections. The cases involve alleged illegal voting in federal elections, false claims of United States citizenship to register or vote, and the fraudulent submission of a voter registration application in another state.
Attorney General Todd Blanche called the announcement the largest surge of voter-fraud arrests since President Donald Trump returned to office. The department said it has charged 195 noncitizens across 25 states with illegal voting and registration offenses in the last nine weeks, and 239 people with voting fraud-related offenses since the current administration began. Four of the 63 defendants were described by the department as unlawfully present in the country. A complaint, indictment or information contains accusations only, the department said, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Cases in North Carolina and California
North Carolina accounted for 18 of the cases, spread across three federal districts. In the Eastern District, Elizabeth Margaret Crudup, 52, a Kenyan national and lawful permanent resident, was charged with falsely claiming citizenship to vote and voting by an alien. The department says she registered to vote in 2008 and voted in nine general elections between 2008 and 2024, as well as nine primary elections. Gregory Eugene Wade, 64, a lawful permanent resident from Bermuda, was charged on similar counts after allegedly registering in 2000 and voting in 12 general elections between 2000 and 2024.
In California, six people in the Central District were charged with making false statements on naturalization applications after allegedly registering or voting while not citizens and then denying that history under penalty of perjury. Six more in the Eastern District were charged with illegally voting, most of them in the November 2024 presidential election.
Cases in other states
In Georgia, Benito Covarrubias Iniguez, 64, a Mexican national described by the department as unlawfully present, was charged with making a false claim of citizenship in order to vote in a federal election. In Texas, Ali Khan, 33, a national of Trinidad and Tobago described as unlawfully present, was charged with voting by an alien after allegedly voting in the 2024 election. In Tennessee, two indictments were unsealed in the Western District, including one against a Mexican citizen accused of voting in Haywood County in 2024 and one against a German citizen accused of voting in Fayette County in 2022 and 2024. The department said it will continue investigating and prosecuting voter fraud.
Reporting based on coverage by the U.S. Department of Justice.
