The Department of Justice announced Monday that it has charged 16 foreign nationals with election-related crimes, including illegally voting and fraudulently registering to vote. According to Breitbart News, the charges span four states — Florida, Louisiana, Wisconsin, and Minnesota — and mark another wave of federal enforcement against non-citizens accused of participating in U.S. elections.
Prosecutors said the defendants include individuals who allegedly cast ballots in the 2024 presidential election despite not being U.S. citizens. Among those charged in Florida with illegal voting are Andrea Catanese, a 60-year-old Italian national; Terrance Patrick Evans, a 37-year-old Bahamian national; Pedro Pablo Ruiz, a 68-year-old Cuban national; Zianya Yllaly Zamorano, a 34-year-old Mexican national; Dudley Francisco Zeledon, a 56-year-old Nicaraguan national; and Sara Luma, a 30-year-old North Macedonian national.
Separately, the DOJ announced charges against 10 foreign nationals in Minnesota for offenses that include falsely claiming to be American citizens and illegally voting. The exact charges and the names of the Minnesota defendants were not immediately released in the source material.
The announcement follows similar prosecutions last month. As Breitbart News previously reported, 10 foreign nationals were charged with comparable crimes, including illegally voting in the 2024 presidential election, the 2022 midterm elections, and the 2022 primary elections. Those cases were spread across Florida, Kansas, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Texas, Hawaii, and Utah.
The latest charges underscore the Justice Department’s ongoing efforts to address election integrity concerns, though the total number of cases remains a small fraction of the millions of ballots cast in recent elections. Federal law prohibits non-citizens from voting in federal elections, and falsely claiming citizenship to register or vote is a separate criminal offense.
The DOJ has not indicated whether the charged individuals are in custody or whether additional charges are expected. The cases will proceed in the respective federal district courts where the charges were filed.
This story is developing and more information may become available.
Source: www.breitbart.com — https://www.breitbart.com/immigration/2026/10/05/doj-charges-16-foreigners-election-crimes-illegal-voting/