US Charges Nigerian National, 11 Others For Illegal Voting, Fraudulent Registration, Other Election Crimes
US Charges Nigerian National, 11 Others For Illegal Voting, Fraudulent Registration, Other Election Crimes
The defendants include three people whom the DOJ described as illegal aliens, while others are lawful permanent residents or nationals of countries including Nigeria, Canada, Haiti, Jamaica, Venezuela, Mexico, Trinidad and Tobago and the Philippines.
The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) has announced charges and guilty pleas against 12 individuals, including Nigerian national George Olawunmi Johnson, over alleged illegal voting, fraudulent voter registration, and other election-related crimes across several states.
The cases, announced on Monday, September 28, 2026, involve non-U.S. citizens allegedly voting in federal elections, falsely claiming American citizenship to register or vote, making false statements during citizenship applications and, in one case, the alleged destruction of approximately 300 mail-in ballots by a former postal worker.
The defendants include three people whom the DOJ described as illegal aliens, while others are lawful permanent residents or nationals of countries including Nigeria, Canada, Haiti, Jamaica, Venezuela, Mexico, Trinidad and Tobago and the Philippines.
In the District of Kansas, Nigerian national George Olawunmi Johnson, a lawful permanent resident of the United States, was charged with four election-related offences.
The charges include making a false claim to U.S. citizenship, making a false claim to U.S. citizenship in order to vote, fraudulent election conduct, and voting by an alien in a federal election.
According to the DOJ, Johnson allegedly falsely indicated that he was a U.S. citizen when he registered to vote in February 2010.
Prosecutors further alleged that he subsequently cast a ballot in the November 2024 election despite not being a U.S. citizen.
In the Middle District of Florida, Christiane Vinette Young, 75, described by the DOJ as an illegal alien from Canada, was charged with three counts of voting by an alien.
The department alleged that Young voted in three federal elections despite knowing that she was not a U.S. citizen.
The elections were the 2024 general election, 2022 general election, and 2022 primary election.
In the Southern District of Florida, Haitian national Valery Zidor, who was on Temporary Protected Status at the time of the alleged offences, pleaded guilty to three federal charges.
The DOJ said Zidor falsely claimed to be a U.S. citizen in order to register to vote and subsequently voted in the 2024 general election.
He pleaded guilty to two counts of making a false claim of citizenship in order to vote and one count of voting by an alien.
In the District of New Jersey, Jamaican national Patrick Terrance Reid, 61, a lawful permanent resident, was charged with illegally voting in federal elections and making false statements while applying for U.S. citizenship.
The DOJ alleged that Reid voted in person during the November 2012 and November 2016 presidential elections and through mail-in ballots in November 2020 and November 2024.
Venezuelan national Danubis Bernat, 49, also a lawful permanent resident, was charged after allegedly voting in person in the 2024 general election.
Bernat was additionally accused of making false statements while applying for U.S. citizenship.
The DOJ also announced four election-related cases in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
Cliff Sanon, 39, described by the department as an illegal alien from Haiti, was charged with submitting a fraudulent voter registration application.
Sanon allegedly submitted a voter registration application in February 2026 ahead of Pennsylvania’s May 2026 primary election despite being a Haitian citizen and not a U.S. citizen.
The criminal complaint further alleges that the application was among eight fraudulent voter registration applications submitted by Sanon. He was also accused of voting in the November 2022 election.
Dilea Ochoa-Perez, 43, an illegal alien from Mexico, was charged with two counts of voting as an alien.
According to the DOJ, Ochoa-Perez allegedly voted in Chester County during the November 2022 and November 2024 general elections despite being a Mexican citizen and not a U.S. citizen at the time.
Trinidad and Tobago national Sade Guppy, 37, a lawful permanent resident, was charged with one count of voting as an alien.
She allegedly voted in Philadelphia County during the November 2022 general election.
Mexican national Eduardo Gallardo Maldonado, 66, also a lawful permanent resident, was charged with one count of voting as an alien after allegedly voting in Philadelphia County during the November 2024 general election.
In the Western District of Texas, Mexican national Imelda Magallanes, 51, a lawful permanent resident, was charged with one count of voting by an alien in a federal election.
According to the DOJ, voting records from the Midland County Elections Office show that Magallanes first registered to vote in October 2020 using her Texas driver’s licence as identification.
The records allegedly show that she subsequently voted in the November 2024 general election.
In the District of Hawaii, Filipino national Bernadette Acaso, 20, a lawful permanent resident, pleaded guilty to unlawfully voting as an alien. The DOJ said Acaso voted in the 2024 election by casting a mail-in ballot.
Separately, in the District of Utah, Damon Matai Seei, 34, of Payson, was charged with unlawful secretion, destruction and delay of mail after allegedly throwing away mail entrusted to him while working as a U.S. Postal Service letter carrier.
Among the mail allegedly discarded were approximately 300 mail-in ballots intended for registered voters in Eagle Mountain, Utah, ahead of the June 23, 2026 primary election.
According to court documents, Seei allegedly placed the mail in a dumpster in a church parking lot on June 3, 2026.
The DOJ said the case was investigated jointly by the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General and Homeland Security Investigations.
The former postal worker was indicted by a federal grand jury on September 16 and arrested before appearing for arraignment in federal court.
The DOJ said Seei’s next court appearance is scheduled for November 30, 2026.
The cases announced by the Justice Department cover alleged violations involving voting by non-citizens, fraudulent voter registration, false citizenship claims and interference with the delivery of election materials.
The department said election-related offences would continue to be investigated and prosecuted under federal law.
However, the DOJ stressed that criminal complaints, indictments and informations are accusations and do not establish guilt.
