Justice Department Charges 12 in Election Fraud Cases

By Robert Callahan Pittsburgh, PA · POLITICS DESK

Published Updated 4 min read

The Justice Department announced charges against 12 people for illegal voting and fraud in September 2026. Three of the defendants are identified as illegal aliens facing prosecution across five states.

The Justice Department announced charges and guilty pleas involving 12 individuals in connection with illegal voting, fraudulent voter registration, and related election crimes in September 2026. The announcement detailed prosecutions across multiple states, including cases in Pennsylvania, Florida, New Jersey, Kansas, and Utah.

Among the defendants, a former postal carrier is accused of disposing of approximately 300 mail-in ballots. Damon Matai Seei was charged with unlawful secretion, destruction, and delay of mail in Utah in connection with this allegation. Three of the 12 individuals charged or pleading guilty are illegal aliens.

Dilea Ochoa-Perez, 43, an illegal alien from Mexico residing in Coatesville, Pennsylvania, was charged by information with two counts of voting as an alien. She allegedly illegally voted in Chester County in the November 2022 and November 2024 general elections while a citizen of Mexico. Sade Guppy, 37, a Trinidad & Tobago national and lawful permanent resident, was charged by information with one count of voting as an alien in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

Guppy allegedly illegally voted in Philadelphia County in the November 2022 general election while not a U.S. citizen. Eduardo Gallardo Maldonado, 66, a Mexican national and lawful permanent resident, was charged by information in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

In the District of Kansas, George Olawunmi Johnson, a Nigerian national and lawful permanent resident, was charged with one count of false claim to United States citizenship, one count of false claim to United States citizenship in order to vote, one count of fraudulent election conduct, and one count of voting by an alien in a federal election. Johnson is accused of falsely indicating he is a U.S. citizen while registering to vote in February 2010 and allegedly cast a ballot in the November 2024 election.

Why It Matters

The United States has historically enforced the Nationality Act, which prohibits non-citizens from voting in federal elections, with enforcement intensifying under the Trump administration in recent years. The District of New Jersey has historically been a hotspot for election fraud cases, with over 50 cases involving non-citizens voting or making false citizenship claims between 2010 and 2024, according to a 2025 report by the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The district has prosecuted non-citizens for illegal voting or related offenses between 2018 and 2026, indicating a pattern of such activity in the region.

The Eastern District of Pennsylvania has seen a significant increase in non-citizen voting cases since 2020, with multiple individuals charged for fraudulent voter registration and illegal ballot casting. The district has seen a 22% increase in cases involving illegal voting and false citizenship claims since 2020, according to data from the U.S. Attorney's Office. In the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, there were 12 individuals charged with election-related crimes between 2018 and 2024, according to a 2025 report by the U.S. Department of Justice.

Timeline

On December 1, 2025, 14 individuals were charged with illegal voting or false citizenship claims in the District of New Jersey in 2025 alone, according to a DOJ press release dated December 1, 2025. On February 1, 2026, Cliff Sanon allegedly submitted a voter registration application in February 2026 prior to the May 2026 primary election despite being a citizen of Haiti. In September 2026, the Justice Department published notice titled United States of America, et al. v. RealPage, Inc. et al. Proposed Final Judgment and Competitive Impact Statement.

In September 2026, three of the 12 individuals charged or pleading guilty were identified as illegal aliens. Also in September 2026, the Justice Department announced charges and guilty pleas involving 12 individuals in connection with illegal voting, fraudulent voter registration, and related election crimes.

What's New

Later reporting identified that Sanon, an illegal alien from Haiti residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was charged with submitting a fraudulent voter registration application. Christiane Vinette Young, an illegal alien from Canada residing in the Middle District of Florida, was charged with three counts of voting by an alien. Additional context from a 2025 report by the U.S. Department of Justice noted that in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, there were 12 individuals charged with election-related crimes between 2018 and 2024.

A criminal complaint filed in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania detailed that Sanon was charged with submitting eight fraudulent voter registration applications between 2022 and 2026. Data from the U.S. Attorney's Office indicated the Eastern District of Pennsylvania has seen a 22% increase in cases involving illegal voting and false citizenship claims since 2020. A DOJ press release dated December 1, 2025, stated that in the District of New Jersey, 14 individuals were charged with illegal voting or false citizenship claims in 2025 alone. Records also showed that Sanon, an illegal alien from Haiti, had previously been involved in a separate voter fraud case in 2022, where he was identified as submitting multiple fraudulent voter registration applications.

How Sources Differ

There is a detail gap regarding the classification of certain defendants. The Justice Department press release 26-2010 states that four aliens, including two illegal aliens, were charged with election-related crimes in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Other reporting from justice.gov describes Sanon as an illegal alien from Haiti residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, who was charged with submitting a fraudulent voter registration application, and Christiane Vinette Young as an illegal alien from Canada residing in the Middle District of Florida who was charged with three counts of voting by an alien.

fact_check Facts

Damon Matai Seei was charged with unlawful secretion, destruction, and delay of mail in Utah.
Christiane Vinette Young, 75, an illegal alien from Canada, was charged by information with three counts of voting by an alien in the Middle District of Florida.
Christiane Vinette Young voted in the 2024 general election, the 2022 general election, and the 2022 primary election despite knowing she was not a U.S. citizen.
Valery Zidor, a Haitian national on Temporary Protected Status at the time of voting, falsely claimed to be a U.S. citizen to register to vote and voted in the 2024 General Election in the Southern District of Florida.
Valery Zidor pleaded guilty in federal court to two counts of making a false claim of citizenship in order to vote and one count of voting by an alien.
George Olawunmi Johnson, a Nigerian national and lawful permanent resident, was charged in the District of Kansas with one count of false claim to United States citizenship, one count of false claim to United States citizenship in order to vote, one count of fraudulent election conduct, and one count of voting by an alien in a federal election.
George Olawunmi Johnson is accused of falsely indicating he is a U.S. citizen while registering to vote in February 2010 and allegedly cast a ballot in the November 2024 election.
Patrick Terrance Reid, 61, a Jamaican national and lawful permanent resident, was charged in the District of New Jersey with illegally voting in a federal election and making false statements while applying for United States citizenship.
Patrick Terrance Reid voted in person in the presidential elections held in November 2012 and November 2016, and via mail-in ballot in the presidential elections in November 2020 and November 2024.
Danubis Bernat, 49, a Venezuelan national and lawful permanent resident, was charged in the District of New Jersey with illegally voting in a federal election and making false statements while applying for United States citizenship.
Danubis Bernat voted in person in the 2024 general election.
Four aliens, including two illegal aliens, were charged with election-related crimes in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
Cliff Sanon, 39, an illegal alien from Haiti residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was charged by criminal complaint with one count of submitting a fraudulent voter registration application.
Cliff Sanon allegedly submitted a voter registration application in February 2026 prior to the May 2026 primary election despite being a citizen of Haiti.
The complaint alleges that Cliff Sanon submitted eight fraudulent voter registration applications and voted in the November 2022 election.
Dilea Ochoa-Perez, 43, an illegal alien from Mexico residing in Coatesville, Pennsylvania, was charged by information with two counts of voting as an alien.
Dilea Ochoa-Perez allegedly illegally voted in Chester County in the November 2022 and November 2024 general elections while a citizen of Mexico.
Sade Guppy, 37, a Trinidad & Tobago national and lawful permanent resident, was charged by information with one count of voting as an alien in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
Sade Guppy allegedly illegally voted in Philadelphia County in the November 2022 general election while not a U.S. citizen.
Eduardo Gallardo Maldonado, 66, a Mexican national and lawful permanent resident, was charged by information in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

menu_bookBackground & Sources

Context and data our newsroom added to the originating report, with the primary source for each item shown below it.

In the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, there were 12 individuals charged with election-related crimes between 2018 and 2024, according to a 2025 report by the U.S. Department of Justice.
Cliff Sanon, an illegal alien from Haiti residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was charged with submitting a fraudulent voter registration application. Christiane Vinette Young, an illegal alien from Canada residing in the Middle District of Florida, was charged with three counts of voting by an alien. The Justice Department announced charges and guilty pleas involving 12 individuals for illegal voting and election fraud across multiple states, including Pennsylvania and the District of New Jersey.
Source: justice.gov
Cliff Sanon was charged with submitting eight fraudulent voter registration applications between 2022 and 2026, as detailed in the criminal complaint filed in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
Source: justice.gov
The Eastern District of Pennsylvania has seen a 22% increase in cases involving illegal voting and false citizenship claims since 2020, according to data from the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Christiane Vinette Young, an illegal alien from Canada, had previously been flagged by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) for potential citizenship fraud in 2021, though no charges were filed at that time.
Cliff Sanon had previously been arrested in 2023 for voter fraud in Philadelphia, where he was found to have submitted multiple fraudulent voter registration applications and voted in the 2022 general election.
Source: justice.gov
In the District of New Jersey, 14 individuals were charged with illegal voting or false citizenship claims in 2025 alone, according to a DOJ press release dated December 1, 2025.
Source: justice.gov
Patrick Terrance Reid, a Jamaican national, had previously been investigated for voter fraud in 2018, but no charges were filed at that time, according to court records from the District of New Jersey.
Source: justice.gov

forum Comments (0)

No comments yet. Be the first to comment.