DOJ Charges 16 Noncitizens With Voting Crimes. Ten of Them Voted or Registered in Minnesota.
On October 5, 2026, the Justice Department announced charges against 16 foreign nationals in four federal districts for allegedly voting in American elections or falsely claiming citizenship to register. Ten of them are in Minnesota, where a federal grand jury indicted them in late September.
One correction up front: the Washington Examiner headline says “illegal immigrants,” but the Justice Department’s release lists every one of the 16 as a lawful permanent resident, a green-card holder. They are accused of doing something green-card holders are barred from doing. All are presumed innocent.
- 16 defendants from 14 countries in four districts: Minnesota (10), Louisiana (3), Florida (2), Wisconsin (1) — U.S. Department of Justice
- 9 + 9 counts in the Minnesota indictment: nine of illegal voting by an alien and nine of falsely claiming citizenship — American Greatness / DOJ release
- 3 Minnesota elections at issue: November 2022, November 2024, and the August 11, 2026 primary — MPR News / Fox 9
- 90+ people charged with voting-related offenses since Trump returned to office, per Attorney General Todd Blanche, a Trump appointee — Spectrum News / Andrew Kolvet on X
According to the indictment as described by the Justice Department, nine of the ten Minnesota defendants cast ballots and a tenth registered without voting. Seven allegedly voted in the November 2024 general election, one in 2022, and one, a Ghanaian man, in this August’s primary. U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen, a Trump appointee, said the case grew out of a Homeland Security Investigations probe.
Bhator Konah Bryant, 61 (Liberia) — one count, false claim of citizenship (registered Oct. 18, 2024; no vote alleged)
Edvile Vaidoto Edmunds, 59 (Lithuania) — one count of voting by an alien (Nov. 8, 2022)
Joshua Frederick Kofi Edzie, 63 (Ghana) — two false-citizenship counts, one voting count (Aug. 11, 2026 primary)
Alan Barbu Kargbo, 48 (Liberia) — false claim and voting (Nov. 5, 2024)
Paul Kras, 78 (Germany) — voting by an alien (Nov. 5, 2024)
Fadil Rasim Ozegovic, 58 (Bosnia) — false claim and voting (Nov. 5, 2024)
Aparecido Donizetti Padovan, 62 (Brazil) — false claim and voting (Nov. 5, 2024)
Chris Adam Pettiquoi, 43 (Liberia) — false claim and voting (Nov. 5, 2024)
Christian Liam Schenk, 47 (Canada) — false claim and voting (Nov. 5, 2024)
Hester Sophia Weihmann, 69 (South Africa) — false claim and voting (Nov. 5, 2024)
Charges are accusations. All defendants are presumed innocent.
“Voting in American elections is a privilege of American citizenship. Stealing that privilege is a crime.”
U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen · District of Minnesota · via FOX 9
Outside Minnesota, the Justice Department charged two people in the Middle District of Florida, three in the Eastern District of Louisiana and one in the Eastern District of Wisconsin. In Florida, Andrea Catanese, 60, of Italy is accused of voting in 2024 and of lying on a naturalization application about having voted. In Louisiana, Dudley Francisco Zeledon, 56, of Nicaragua faces two counts for allegedly voting in both the 2024 primary and general elections. In Wisconsin, Sara Luma, 30, of North Macedonia is accused of registering the same day as voting and certifying citizenship on the form; the DOJ says the conduct was admitted to a federal agent on November 5, 2024.
.@AGToddBlanche announces indictments against 10 Aliens for Voter Fraud in Minnesota who allegedly illegally voted in the November 2022 and 2024 General Election and the August 2026 Primary Election.
BREAKING: A federal grand jury just indicted 10 foreign nationals in Minnesota for illegally voting. Brazil. Ghana. Liberia. They voted in 2022, 2024, and this year’s primary.
The DOJ release itself names no investigating agency; it describes one defendant’s naturalization application and an agent’s interview with another. Rosen said the Minnesota case grew out of a Homeland Security Investigations probe (FOX 9), and Spectrum News points to the federal SAVE citizenship database in its coverage. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin (R) put the policy in a sentence: “…we will find you, arrest you, and you will face the consequences, including criminal charges and deportation.”
Governor: Tim Walz (DFL)— the state’s governor; not accused of anything in these cases.
Secretary of State: Steve Simon (DFL)— the state’s chief election officer. The Justice Department sued him over his refusal to turn over the state’s voter rolls, per KSTP.
U.S. Attorney, District of Minnesota: Daniel N. Rosen.
Neither Walz nor Simon is accused of anything in these cases. The relevant fact is what prosecutors allege: that these defendants falsely claimed citizenship when they registered or voted. Simon’s office has called noncitizen voting “vanishingly rare,” per Spectrum News, and ten defendants against millions of Minnesota ballots supports that reading. The Justice Department’s counter is the pattern: more than 90 people charged nationally, and a state whose chief election officer has refused to turn over its voter rolls.
Per MPR, six of the Minnesota defendants have entered not-guilty pleas and most were released after their first court appearances. Prosecutors have said a conviction could carry immigration consequences. The unanswered question is scale: how many other lawful residents have registered or voted improperly, and whether states will let federal databases check.
Sixteen green-card holders face federal charges for allegedly voting or registering as citizens, ten of them in Minnesota, where nine allegedly cast ballots across three elections. They are presumed innocent, and they are not “illegal” immigrants. The case against them rests on one question, citizenship, and who verifies the answer is what Minnesota’s election officials and the Justice Department are still fighting over.
