The Justice Department announced charges Friday against 16 people across seven states in connection with alleged illegal voting, fraudulent voter registration and related election crimes, part of an escalating federal effort to prosecute noncitizen participation in U.S. elections.
Eight of those charged are noncitizens residing in Texas. The remaining defendants are located in Idaho, Georgia, Massachusetts, Wisconsin, New Jersey and Michigan, according to the DOJ.
The allegations include noncitizens voting in federal elections, false claims of U.S. citizenship on voter registration forms, and false statements made in connection with naturalization proceedings. Investigators also say they uncovered additional alleged crimes during the probes, including passport and identification fraud, wire fraud and firearm-related offenses.
In a social media post following the announcement, the DOJ said some of those charged allegedly voted in the 2022 and 2024 elections.
“Let this be a warning to ANYONE trying to cheat and undermine our elections. Spread the word!”
Individual Cases
In Georgia, prosecutors say Analiea Milliscent Eccles, a Venezuelan national and DACA recipient, voted nine times between 2008 and 2024. She has been charged with voting as a noncitizen and falsely claiming U.S. citizenship to vote.
In Idaho, Avila Gomez, a Mexican national, is accused of falsely claiming U.S. citizenship to register to vote, then casting ballots in May 2022 and November 2024. The indictment against him also includes wire fraud and passport, identification-document and firearm-related charges.
In New Jersey, Santana Coulibaly, a lawful permanent resident, is accused of registering to vote in 2016, voting in federal elections in 2018 and 2020, and submitting a provisional ballot in the 2024 presidential election. She also faces allegations tied to statements made on her naturalization applications.
The DOJ emphasized that the charges are accusations and that every defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Part of a Broader Crackdown
Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald of the DOJ’s Fraud Division told Fox News that the Trump administration has now charged 50 noncitizens with illegal voting.
“America’s elections are for Americans.”
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said in a separate interview that the government is pursuing a much larger inquiry, with more than 1,620 open cases and 151 arrests made so far. He said authorities are also examining more than 300,000 suspected cases, a number he said is still growing.
Mullin argued that noncitizen voting effectively cancels out the ballots of legally registered citizens.
“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.”
