The Department of Justice has charged 16 people across several states in cases involving alleged illegal voting, fraudulent voter registration and other election-related offenses. Some of the defendants are noncitizens accused of casting ballots in federal elections.
After announcing the cases, the DOJ issued a warning on social media, saying some defendants allegedly voted in the 2022 and 2024 elections. The department also cautioned anyone else against trying to take part illegally in U.S. elections.
“Let this be a warning to ANYONE trying to cheat and undermine our elections,” the DOJ said in a post. “Spread the word!”
Eight of the defendants, according to the department, live in Texas. The remaining cases involve individuals in Idaho, Georgia, Massachusetts, Wisconsin, New Jersey and Michigan.
The allegations include voting in federal elections as a noncitizen, falsely claiming U.S. citizenship in order to register or cast a ballot, and making false statements during the naturalization process.
Investigators also uncovered alleged passport and identification-document fraud, wire fraud and firearms-related offenses, the DOJ said.
The prosecutions are part of a wider Trump administration initiative focused on alleged illegal voting and other crimes connected to elections.
In Georgia, the DOJ charged Analiea Milliscent Eccles, a Venezuelan national and DACA recipient, with allegedly voting nine times from 2008 through 2024. She is accused of voting as a noncitizen and falsely stating that she was a U.S. citizen in order to vote.
Avila Gomez, a Mexican national living in Idaho, allegedly misrepresented U.S. citizenship while registering to vote and then cast ballots in May 2022 and November 2024.
The indictment against Gomez also contains charges related to wire fraud, passports, identification documents and firearms.
The DOJ said Santana Coulibaly, a lawful permanent resident of New Jersey, registered to vote in 2016 and voted in federal elections in 2018 and 2020. She also submitted a provisional ballot in the 2024 presidential election and faces separate allegations concerning statements in her naturalization applications.
Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald of the DOJ’s Fraud Division told Fox News that the Trump administration has charged 50 noncitizens with illegal voting.
“America’s elections are for Americans,” McDonald said.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin separately said the government’s investigation is continuing and extends beyond the cases announced by the DOJ.
Mullin said officials have more than 1,620 active cases and have made 151 arrests. He also cited more than 300,000 suspected cases under review, saying that number is still increasing.
Mullin argued that “every single vote that was at the hands of an illegal [immigrant], canceled out a citizen that was legally registered and able to vote.”
“One is too many, but the fact that we have 300,000 cases we’re looking into right now and 1,620 cases that are under investigation, and 151 arrests is unacceptable,” Mullin said.
The Justice Department stressed that the newly announced charges are allegations. Every defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
