The U.S. Department of Justice has finally taken significant action, announcing a sweeping wave of arrests and guilty pleas in election-related cases that stretch across the Eastern seaboard, the Pacific, and the Midwest. For years, Democrats and the mainstream media have scoffed at warnings about voter fraud, dismissing it as a phantom menace. Yet, the very threat they claim "rarely happens" — illegal aliens interfering and casting ballots in our nation's elections — seems to be happening with alarming frequency.
This latest crackdown follows a prior announcement last week, where 16 individuals were charged across various states. Now, another 12 individuals face charges or have pleaded guilty, including three who are confirmed illegal aliens. This extensive sweep covers critical battleground states like Florida and Pennsylvania, reaching as far as New Jersey, Utah, and Hawaii — demonstrating the pervasive nature of this assault on our electoral process.
It's remarkable what can be achieved when the Department of Justice actually prioritizes upholding law and order and prosecuting election criminals, instead of targeting political opponents. This is precisely the kind of decisive action Americans expect.
The Justice Department laid out the details:
Today, the Justice Department announced charges and guilty pleas involving 12 individuals, including three illegal aliens, in connection with illegal voting, fraudulent voter registration, and related election crimes across the country. The cases include voting by aliens in federal elections, false claims of U.S. citizenship to register or vote, false statements on citizenship applications, and the alleged disposal of approximately 300 mail-in ballots by a former postal carrier.
Here is a rundown of the miscreants in question, whose actions underscore the systemic vulnerabilities in our election system:
In the Middle District of Florida, 75-year-old Christiane Vinette Young, a Canadian national, was in the country illegally. Young faces three counts of illegal voting after allegedly casting ballots in the 2022 and 2024 general elections, and the 2022 primary election. This is not just a single incident; it's a pattern that undermines faith in our elections.
Meanwhile, in the Southern District of Florida, Haitian national Valery Zidor, who held temporary protected status, knowingly made a false claim of U.S. citizenship, registered to vote in 2024, and then participated in the general election. Zidor has since pleaded guilty to two counts of making a false claim of citizenship to vote, along with one count of voting by an alien. It seems the "temporary" status was merely a stepping stone for election interference.
From the District of Kansas, Nigerian national George Olawunmi Johnson, a lawful permanent resident, allegedly registered to vote in February 2010 and cast a ballot in the 2024 general election. Johnson now faces charges including false claims to U.S. citizenship, fraudulent election conduct, and voting by an alien in a federal election. This highlights how easily even legal residents can exploit systemic weaknesses to vote illegally.
New Jersey also saw charges against two foreign nationals, both permanent residents, for illegally voting in federal elections and falsifying statements on their citizenship applications. Jamaican national Patrick Terrance Reid allegedly voted in four presidential elections — 2012, 2016, 2020, and 2024. Venezuelan national Danubis Bernat is accused of voting in person during the 2024 general election. These are not isolated incidents; they reveal a pattern of disregard for American law.
In the Western District of Texas, Mexican national Imelda Magallanes, another lawful permanent resident, faces a charge of voting by an alien in a federal election. This case starkly illustrates why issuing driver's licenses "like candy" to illegal aliens and even lawful foreign residents — without robust checks and balances — is a disastrous policy. It opens the door wide for voter fraud, proving conservative warnings correct.
Voting records from the Midland County Elections Office indicate that Magallanes first registered to vote in October 2020 using her Texas driver's license as identification. Voting records also reveal that Magallanes voted in the November 2024 general election.
Even in the Pacific, the rot of voter fraud is evident. In the District of Hawaii, Filipino national and lawful permanent resident Bernadette Acaso pleaded guilty to unlawfully voting as an alien after casting a mail-in ballot in the 2024 election. Mail-in ballots, often touted as convenient, are clearly susceptible to exploitation.
The integrity of our elections isn't just threatened by foreign actors; it's also vulnerable to those entrusted with our mail. U.S. citizen Damon Matai Seei, a USPS mail carrier, has been charged with "unlawful secretion, destruction, and delay of mail." Authorities say he allegedly threw away mail he was supposed to deliver, including approximately 300 mail-in ballots intended for registered voters in Utah. This kind of dereliction of duty, whether intentional or not, directly subverts the democratic process.
The Eastern District of Pennsylvania, a state often at the heart of election controversies, emerged as a "motherlode of malfeasance." Four foreign nationals, including two illegal aliens, were charged with a range of election-related crimes. One of the illegal aliens is accused of submitting no fewer than eight fraudulent voter registrations and illegally voting in at least one election. This underscores precisely why the Supreme Court's decision allowing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to continue performing Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) checks is not just important — it's absolutely critical for national security and election integrity.
Cliff Sanon, 39, an illegal alien from Haiti who has been residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was charged by criminal complaint with one count of submitting a fraudulent voter registration application. Sanon allegedly submitted a voter registration application in February 2026 prior to the May 2026 primary election, despite being a citizen of Haiti and not an American citizen. The complaint further alleges that this was among eight fraudulent voter registration applications submitted by Sanon, who also voted in the November 2022 election.
Dilea Ochoa-Perez, 43, an illegal alien from Mexico who has been residing in Coatesville, Pennsylvania, was charged by information with two counts of voting as an alien. According to the information, Ochoa-Perez allegedly illegally voted in Chester County in the November 2022 and November 2024 general elections, even though she was a citizen of Mexico at the time of both elections and not a U.S citizen.
Trinidad & Tobago national Sade Guppy, 37, a lawful permanent resident, was charged by information with one count of voting as an alien. According to the information, Guppy allegedly illegally voted in Philadelphia County in the November 2022 general election, even though she was not a U.S. citizen.
Mexican national Eduardo Gallardo Maldonado, 66, a lawful permanent resident, was charged by information with one count of voting as an alien. According to the information, Maldonado allegedly illegally voted in Philadelphia County in the November 2024 general election, even though he was not a U.S. citizen.
This decisive, albeit long-overdue, crackdown by the DOJ is sending a clear message. The extensive and varied nature of these arrests, from coast to coast, will undoubtedly force potential fraudsters to think twice. It's a critical step in restoring confidence in our elections — a concept Democrats have often dismissed — and ensuring that only legal American citizens determine the future of our nation. When our Department of Justice chooses to uphold the law, the America First movement, and indeed all patriotic Americans, stand to win.
