Election Fraud Cases
Abdihakim A. Essa, of Minneapolis, was accused of intentionally making or signing false certificates when submitting absentee ballots in Hennepin County. Essa, a non-citizen, forged his father's signature as a witness on the ballots. He pleaded guilty to four of the thirteen counts, all state felony offenses. He was sentenced to 180 days in an adult correctional facility; all but 90 days of this sentence was stayed pending successful completion of 2 years of supervised probation. He was also assessed $78 in court costs.
Source: https://herit.ag/3U025ev, https://herit.ag/3TYJwXY
Irnatine Boayue was charged by the state with one count of illegal voting during the 2016 general election. Boayue registered to vote despite being ineligible as a non-citizen. She pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of attempted false voter registration and was sentenced to one day in the Franklin County Correction Center. The court waived fines and court costs on account of the defendant's indigency.
Source: https://herit.ag/3i69USh, https://herit.ag/3TTpT3D, https://herit.ag/3EyoYQg
Denslo Allen Paige, of Wake County was found guilty of aiding and abetting voting by an alien. Paige, a volunteer and former election official, was found to have assisted her boyfriend, Guadalupe Espinosa-Pena, a non-citizen, to register and vote in the 2016 general election. She pleaded guilty and was sentenced to two months in prison, one year of probation, and $275 in fines.
Source: https://herit.ag/3rCK35b
Michael Nana Baako, of Ghana, a non-citizen and therefore an ineligible voter, voted 10 times in federal elections. Baako was charged with four counts of passport fraud, illegally voting by an alien, falsely claiming U.S. citizenship and federal passport fraud charge. He pleaded guilty to a federal passport fraud charge and was sentenced to 15 months' imprisonment, followed by 3 years of supervised release.
Source: https://herit.ag/3x5RqTN, Case Number: GC15007564-00
Juan Francisco Landeros-Mireles, of Mexico, pleaded guilty to a charge of illegal voting by an alien. Landeros-Mireles was one of nineteen non-citizens prosecuted in the Eastern District of North Carolina for illegally voting in the 2016 election. He was sentenced to 2 years probation and received a $1,200 fine.
Source: Case No. 5:18-cr-00325-D, https://herit.ag/3iSpQoa, https://herit.ag/2WqEITc, herit.ag/3ZiU1cI
Hyo Suk George, of Korea, pleaded guilty to a charge of illegal voting by an alien. George was one of nineteen non-citizens prosecuted in the Eastern District of North Carolina for illegally voting in the 2016 election. He was ordered to pay a $100 fine and a $25 special assessment.
Source: Case No. 7:18-cr-00138-BO, https://herit.ag/3i71SGB, https://herit.ag/3iTTDwH
Merious Jean, of Haiti, pleaded guilty to a charge of illegal voting by an alien. Jean was one of nineteen non-citizens prosecuted in the Eastern District of North Carolina for illegally voting in the 2016 election. He was ordered to pay a $100 fine and a $25 special assessment.
Source: Case No. 5:18-cr-00327-BO, https://herit.ag/2TCcHa3, https://herit.ag/3rCeSac
Daniel Tadeusz Romanowski, of Poland, pleaded guilty to a charge of illegal voting by an alien. Romanowski was one of nineteen non-citizens prosecuted in the Eastern District of North Carolina for illegally voting in the 2016 election. He was sentenced to one year of probation and fined $1,200.
Source: Case No. 5:18-cr-00326-D, https://herit.ag/3rKEmCw, https://herit.ag/3y83Coz, herit.ag/3sRPlyv
Alessandro Cannizzaro, of Italy, pleaded guilty to a charge of illegal voting by an alien. Cannizzaro was one of nineteen non-citizens prosecuted in the Eastern District of North Carolina for illegally voting in the 2016 election. Cannizzaro was ordered to pay a $200 fine and a $10 special assessment.
Source: Case No. 5:18-cr-00328-BO, https://herit.ag/3iQEfBf, https://herit.ag/3BPBPeH
Jose Cruz Solano-Rodriguez, of Mexico, pleaded guilty to one count of voting by an alien. He was one of nineteen non-citizens prosecuted in the Eastern District of North Carolina for illegally voting in the 2016 election. Solano-Rodriguez also faced a second charge that he falsely claimed citizenship in order to register to vote, but that charge was dropped as part of a plea agreement. Solano-Rodriguez was ordered to pay a $100 fine and a $25 special assessment.
Source: Case No. 2:18-cr-00029-BO, https://herit.ag/3zLTNNz, https://herit.ag/2ULKPB9, https://herit.ag/3x7rxTU
Ramon Esteban Paez-Jerez, of the Dominican Republic, pleaded guilty to two charges of passport fraud and illegal voting by an alien. Paez-Jerez was one of nineteen non-citizens prosecuted in the Eastern District of North Carolina for illegally voting in the 2016 election. Following Paez-Jerez's guilty plea, he was sentenced to one year's imprisonment on each charge, to be served concurrently, and three years' probation for each charge, also to be served concurrently. For each charge, he was ordered to pay a $5,500 fine and a $125 special assessment.
Source: Case No. 5:18-cr-00131-FL, https://herit.ag/3f3VwWt, https://herit.ag/3rETRvO, https://herit.ag/3710BdK
Jose Jaime Ramiro-Torres, of El Salvador, pleaded guilty to a charge of illegal voting by an alien. Ramiro-Torres was one of nineteen non-citizens prosecuted in the Eastern District of North Carolina for illegally voting in the 2016 election. He was ordered to pay a $100 fine and a $25 special assessment.
Source: Case No. 2:18-cr-00029-BO, https://herit.ag/2Vdcef8, https://herit.ag/2V8DISZ
Dieudonne Soifils, of Haiti, pleaded guilty to a charge of illegal voting by an alien. Soifils was one of nineteen non-citizens prosecuted in the Eastern District of North Carolina for illegally voting in the 2016 election. Soifils is awaiting sentencing.
Source: Case No. 4:18-cr-00045-FL, https://herit.ag/3idfss9, https://herit.ag/2UXZPvw
Maria Rufina Castillo-Boswell, of the Philippines, pleaded guilty to one count of voting by an alien. She was one of nineteen non-citizens prosecuted in the Eastern District of North Carolina for illegally voting in the 2016 election. Castillo-Boswell also faced a second charge that she falsely claimed citizenship in order to register to vote, but that charge was dropped as part of a plea agreement. She was sentenced to one year of probation and fined $600.
Source: Case No. 7:18-cr-00135-D, https://herit.ag/3y85HAJ, https://herit.ag/3zFegn5, herit.ag/44PYKUr
Dora Maybe Damata-Rodriguez, of Panama, pleaded guilty to one count of voting by an alien. She was one of nineteen non-citizens prosecuted in the Eastern District of North Carolina for illegally voting in the 2016 election. Damata-Rodriguez also faced a second charge that she falsely claimed citizenship in order to register to vote, but that charge was dropped as part of a plea agreement. She is awaiting sentencing.
Source: Case No. 7:18-cr-00133-FL, https://herit.ag/3x2G7fn, https://herit.ag/3lg7cJR
Leonardo Lleras-Rodriguez, a Cuban national who lives in Kansas City, MO was indicted and pleaded guilty to separate federal charges of casting a fraudulent election ballot and aiding and assisting the preparation of false income tax returns. Lleras-Rodriguez, a non-citizen, voted illegally in six elections between 2010 and 2014. Additionally, he prepared three fraudulent tax returns in 2014 and another 45 fraudulent returns between 2012-2014, defrauding the United States an estimated $134,898. He is awaiting sentencing.
Source: https://herit.ag/3i9ueA6 , https://herit.ag/3iXLHL3
Konstantinos Mouzos pleaded guilty to illegally voting in the 2016 election without being a U.S. citizen. He was sentenced to one year probation following a reduction in charges from one count of illegal voting, a felony, to a misdemeanor of attempted illegal voting. This illegal conduct was uncovered during an annual review by the Ohio Secretary of State of the state's voter registration database in order to identify non-citizens who are registered to vote by comparing information with the Bureau of Motor Vehicles. The Secretary of State's office identified 426 non-citizens who were registered to vote in 2016; 82 of these individuals appear to have voted and have been referred to law enforcement authorities.
Source: https://herit.ag/2VgR6og, https://herit.ag/3y7H5IA
Rosa Maria Ortega, a non-citizen, was found guilty on two counts of voting in the November 2012 general election and the 2014 Republican primary runoff. Ortega claimed she thought she was a citizen and blamed her lack of education for the mix-up, but prosecutors pointed out that Ortega had previously indicated on a drivers license application that she was a non-citizen. A judge sentenced her to eight years' imprisonment, after which she faces the possibility of deportation.
Source: https://herit.ag/3l22q2j, https://herit.ag/3x5RkeT, https://herit.ag/3zIkxOM
Nebi Ademi, 63, a native of Macedonia who resides in Chippewa Falls, successfully cast a ballot in the April 2016 primary election, despite his status as a non-citizen. Ademi filled out a same-day registration, leaving blank the question about his citizenship. District Attorney Steve Gibbs noted that poll workers "should have caught this" and recommended, based on his determination that Ademi had not deliberately broken the law, that the charges against him be changed from election fraud to disorderly conduct. Ademi pleaded no contest. He was ordered to pay $443 in court costs.
Source: bit.ly/2lwffRw, bit.ly/2lpUgSk
Bernus Charmont, a non-citizen, admitted to illegally voting in the 2012 election. As part of a plea bargain, the charges were reduced to falsification. Common Pleas Court Judge Leslie Ghiz sentenced Charmont to one year of probation and ordered him to pay a $1,000 fine and court costs.
Source: https://herit.ag/2VcrN6D, https://herit.ag/3zBr0em
Immigrant-Rights activist Nativo Lopez pleaded guilty to one count of voter registration fraud when it was discovered that he registered to vote in Los Angeles while living in Santa Ana. Lopez had been investigated for voter fraud before. In 1996 his organization registered new citizens to vote in an election that ultimately unseated Republican Rep. Bob Dornan from the 46th District. A House Oversight Committee report later concluded that 748 improper ballots had been cast, 624 of them from non-citizen immigrants. Despite the improperly cast votes, the result of that election was not changed. Lopez was sentenced to three years of probation and 400 hours of community service.
Source: https://herit.ag/2UXQ5Bv
Margarita Del Pilar Fitzpatrick is a native and citizen of Peru who became a non-citizen permanent resident in 2004. When she applied for a driver's license, Fitzpatrick also filled out a "Motor Voter" registration form on which she falsely claimed to be a U.S. citizen. She subsequently voted in the 2006 federal election. In 2007, while applying for naturalization, Fitzpatrick acknowledged to immigration officials that she had registered and voted. Fitzpatrick's application was denied and she was ordered removed from the country because of this violation.
Source: https://herit.ag/3i4ocAG, https://herit.ag/3l1MWLR, https://herit.ag/3xbrupU
A former Port Lavaca city councilwoman was sentenced to five years in prison for registering non-citizens to vote and tampering with government documents. During the trial, she acknowledged that she did not ask registrants about their citizenship, nor did she inform them that only United States citizens are eligible to vote. Illegal voting is a third-degree felony.
Source: https://herit.ag/3nuYTcp
Mohsin Ali, a non-citizen, pleaded guilty to unlawful voting by an alien. Ali was sentenced to two years' probation, and ordered to pay a $1,000 fine and a $25 court fee.
Source: https://herit.ag/2WtdStB, States v. Mohsin Ali, 4:05-CR-47 (2006)
Mejorada-Lopez, a Mexican citizen, completed several voter registration applications to register to vote in Alaska and voted in the 2000, 2002, and 2004 general elections. He was charged with three counts of voting by a non-citizen in violation of 18 U.S.C. 611 and was sentenced to probation for one year after pleading guilty.
Source: United States v. Rogelio Mejorada-Lopez, No. 05-CR-074 (2005)
Egbert Rickman entered a plea of no contest to a charge that he knowingly voted in an election despite being a non-citizen. Rickman was sentenced to six months of probation and ordered to pay a $250 fine.
Source: US v. Rickman, Case #04-CR-20491 in Florida
Astrid Natalia Torres-Perez pleaded guilty to charges that she voted despite being a non-citizen and therefore ineligible. She was sentenced to one year of probation.
Source: US v. Torres-Perez, Case #04-CR-14046 in Florida
Syble McKenzie pleaded guilty to election fraud after she voted despite being a non-citizen. She was sentenced to one year's probation and 30 hours' community service.
Source: U.S. v. McKenzie, Case #04-CR-60160 in Florida.
A 2001 election in Compton turned into a multi-year legal drama as candidates for city council and mayor traded accusations of fraud. In the election, incumbent Mayor Omar Bradley lost to challenger Eric Perrodin by 281 votes, and Leslie Irving (a Perrodin ally) defeated Melanie Andrews for an open city council seat. Bradley sued, alleging fraud, including allegations that Irving illegally registered non-citizens. Superior Court Judge Judith Chirlin overturned the election, returning Bradley to power based on the fact that the city clerk had improperly placed Perrodin's name at the top of the ballot rather than select the order randomly. Chirlin also found that Irving had indeed helped non-citizens to register and vote in the election, and removed Irving from office and replaced her with Andrews. On appeal, Chirlin's ruling was partially overturned. The appellate court acknowledged that Perrodin had benefited from a "primacy effect," but this was insufficient to overturn the election. The appellate court upheld the removal of Irving from office, but held that Judge Chirlin should have ordered a new election rather than simply replace her with Andrews.
Source: https://herit.ag/3eYoNBS, https://herit.ag/370aqsu
