Nigerian National Among 12 Charged In US Election Crime Cases
A Nigerian national is among 12 people facing federal election-related charges in the United States after authorities announced a series of cases involving alleged illegal voting, fraudulent voter registration and false claims of American citizenship.
The cases span several states and involve both lawful permanent residents and people whom the U.S. Department of Justice described as illegal aliens.
One of the defendants is 67-year-old George Olawunmi Johnson, a Nigerian national and lawful permanent resident living in Kansas.
Federal prosecutors say Johnson entered the U.S. voting system years before casting the ballot that eventually brought him under investigation.
According to the Justice Department, Johnson indicated that he was an American citizen when he registered to vote in Johnson County, Kansas, in February 2010.
He is now facing four charges: falsely claiming U.S. citizenship, falsely claiming citizenship in order to vote, fraudulent election conduct and voting by a non-citizen in a federal election.
Prosecutors further accuse Johnson of casting a ballot in the November 2024 election after certifying that he was eligible to vote as an American citizen.
The ballot included races for U.S. president and vice president, as well as the Senate and House of Representatives.
Johnson appeared before a federal magistrate judge in Kansas on September 23, 2026. The case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations.
But Johnson’s case is only one part of a much wider investigation announced by the Justice Department on September 28.
In Florida, 75-year-old Christiane Vinette Young, a Canadian national whom the department classified as an illegal alien, was charged with three counts of voting by a non-citizen.
The accusations concern three federal elections: the 2022 primary, the 2022 general election and the 2024 general election.
Another Florida case involves Haitian national Valery Zidor.
At the time of the conduct in question, Zidor was under Temporary Protected Status. Prosecutors said he falsely represented himself as an American citizen to register to vote and later participated in the 2024 general election.
Unlike most of the defendants announced that day, Zidor has already pleaded guilty.
He admitted to two counts involving false claims of citizenship made in order to vote and one count of voting by a non-citizen.
The investigation then moves to New Jersey, where two lawful permanent residents are facing separate cases.
Jamaican national Patrick Terrance Reid, 61, is accused of voting in four presidential elections.
The Justice Department says he voted in person in 2012 and 2016, then used mail-in ballots in the 2020 and 2024 presidential elections.
Reid is also charged with making false statements during his application for U.S. citizenship.
Venezuelan national Danubis Bernat, 49, faces charges after prosecutors said he voted in person during the 2024 general election.
Bernat is also accused of making false statements during his citizenship application.
Pennsylvania accounts for four more of the cases.
Cliff Sanon, 39, a Haitian national described by the DOJ as an illegal alien, is accused of submitting fraudulent voter-registration applications.
According to the criminal complaint, Sanon submitted an application in February 2026 ahead of Pennsylvania’s May primary, despite not being a U.S. citizen.
Investigators say that application was one of eight fraudulent registrations connected to him. He is also accused of voting in the November 2022 election.
Another Pennsylvania defendant is 43-year-old Dilea Ochoa-Perez, a Mexican national whom the department also described as an illegal alien.
She faces two counts of voting as a non-citizen. Prosecutors say she voted in Chester County during the November 2022 and November 2024 general elections.
Trinidad and Tobago national Sade Guppy, 37, is facing one count after investigators said she voted in Philadelphia County during the November 2022 general election.
Guppy is a lawful permanent resident.
The fourth Pennsylvania case involves Mexican national Eduardo Gallardo Maldonado, 66, also a lawful permanent resident.
He faces one count of voting as a non-citizen over a ballot prosecutors say he cast in Philadelphia County during the November 2024 general election.
The allegations continue in Texas.
Mexican national Imelda Magallanes, 51, a lawful permanent resident, is charged with voting by a non-citizen in a federal election.
Voting records from Midland County, according to the DOJ, show that Magallanes registered in October 2020 using her Texas driver’s licence as identification.
The same records indicate that she later voted in the November 2024 general election.
In Hawaii, 20-year-old Filipino national Bernadette Acaso has already pleaded guilty.
Acaso, a lawful permanent resident, admitted to unlawfully voting as a non-citizen after casting a mail-in ballot during the 2024 election.
Then there is a case that does not involve a non-citizen casting a ballot at all.
In Utah, 34-year-old Damon Matai Seei, of Payson, is accused of interfering with the delivery of election materials while working as a U.S. Postal Service letter carrier.
Federal prosecutors say Seei was entrusted with mail destined for residents of Eagle Mountain, including hundreds of mail-in ballots for the June 23, 2026 primary election.
On June 3, authorities say, he placed some of the mail in a dumpster at a church parking lot.
The material included approximately 300 ballots intended for registered voters.
The case was investigated jointly by the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General and Homeland Security Investigations.
A federal grand jury indicted Seei on September 16, and he was subsequently arrested and brought before the federal court.
His next court appearance is scheduled for November 30, 2026.
Taken together, the cases announced by the Justice Department involve several different types of alleged election offences.
They include voting in federal elections while not being a U.S. citizen, submitting fraudulent voter-registration applications, falsely claiming American citizenship for voting purposes, providing false information during citizenship proceedings, and interfering with the delivery of election materials.
The department said investigations and prosecutions of election-related offences would continue under federal law.
However, there is an important legal distinction in all of these cases.
The charges against the defendants are accusations, not findings of guilt. The DOJ has expressly stated that criminal complaints, indictments and informations do not establish that a defendant committed the alleged offence, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.
(Source: SaharaReporters)
