The Justice Department has disclosed multiple federal election-related prosecutions across several states, alleging noncitizen voting, fraudulent registrations and signature-forging schemes. Key cases include an alleged voter-registration scheme tied to a Louisiana mayoral candidate and a Los Angeles Skid Row operation accused of using stolen identities to forge ballot-petition signatures. Additional charges were announced in Kansas, Massachusetts and Texas, while the Supreme Court blocked new USPS mail-ballot rules for 2026. Prosecutors say these actions are part of a broader effort to bolster election security.
Nationwide Election-Fraud Crackdown: Skid Row Forgeries, Illegal Votes and a Charged Mayoral Candidate
A woman walks to cast her ballot after filling it out in a private booth while voting in the gubernatorial election in Newark, N.J., Nov. 2, 2021.
Federal prosecutors across the United States have announced a string of election-related cases in recent days as the Justice Department and the White House step up enforcement against alleged noncitizen voting, fraudulent registrations and identity schemes.
New Cases Span Multiple States
The newly disclosed prosecutions stretch from California to Kansas, Louisiana, Texas and Massachusetts, and add to other cases brought nationwide in recent weeks. The Justice Department described the actions as part of a broader push to tighten election security ahead of upcoming federal contests.
Administration Response
"Despite claims it never happens, the evidence of noncitizens registering and voting continues to pile up," a White House spokeswoman told Fox News Digital. "Any noncitizens found registering and voting in our elections will be arrested and held accountable. Only Americans should be electing American leaders."
Highlighted Allegations
Prosecutors this week announced more than a dozen defendants facing allegations that include illegal voting, false claims of U.S. citizenship, fraudulent voter registration and identity theft. Justice Department officials warned that individuals who "game the election system" or commit voter fraud will be prosecuted.
Louisiana: One of the higher-profile matters involves an alleged scheme tied to a mayoral contest. Authorities say that mayoral candidate Bridget Johnson fraudulently submitted a voter-registration application in the name of Jamaican national Michael Wedderburn and falsely indicated he was a U.S. citizen. Wedderburn is accused of voting in the 2024 federal election and in the same mayoral race. Johnson was charged with fraudulent voter registration and voting by an alien; Wedderburn was charged with voting by an alien. If convicted, prosecutors say Johnson could face up to five years in prison and Wedderburn up to one year, plus possible fines.
Tents are lined up on a sidewalk in front of the nonprofit Midnight Mission's headquarters, while traditional Thanksgiving meals are served to nearly 2000 homeless people in the Skid Row neighborhood of downtown Los Angeles Nov. 25, 2021.
California (Skid Row): Federal prosecutors allege a scheme in Los Angeles' Skid Row that used stolen identities of registered voters to manufacture signatures on ballot initiative petitions. According to charging documents, coordinators recruited vulnerable people, provided them with stolen identities, and paid them to copy personal data and forge signatures. Defendants named include James Brass and Courtney Price, who allegedly recruited people and paid them; a third defendant, Jateisha Herron, is accused of falsely certifying that signatures were witnessed. Prosecutors allege Brass received about $41,600 from coordinators working with a petition-management company.
Kansas: Authorities charged 24-year-old Peruvian national and U.S. permanent resident Mariana Alexandra Dewey with falsely claiming U.S. citizenship, fraudulent election conduct and voting as an alien in a federal election after her recent arrest.
Massachusetts: Federal prosecutors announced charges against Gladys Adaeze Okafor, a Nigerian national accused of claiming to be a U.S. citizen when registering to vote and of casting ballots in multiple federal elections.
Texas: Several indictments were announced in Texas, including cases where individuals allegedly registered to vote illegally when applying for driver's licenses. Separately, federal officials said a Mexican national was sentenced to 36 months in prison after pleading guilty to aggravated identity theft, false statements of citizenship and illegal voting by an alien.
President Donald Trump next to the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C.
These actions follow other recent prosecutions: less than two weeks ago the Justice Department charged five people in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Wisconsin in matters tied to alleged illegal voting or fraudulent registrations connected to the 2022 and 2024 elections, and an individual in Minnesota was charged last week with falsely claiming U.S. citizenship to vote in the 2024 general election.
Legal And Political Context
Despite the growing number of criminal cases, the administration suffered a legal setback this week when the Supreme Court left in place a lower-court injunction blocking the U.S. Postal Service from implementing new, stricter mail-ballot rules for the 2026 elections. Those rules would have required specially designed mail-ballot envelopes with unique voter barcodes, mandated that envelope designs be submitted to USPS for review and required jurisdictions to provide USPS with information about intended ballot recipients.
Justice Brett Kavanaugh concurred with the decision not to allow the rules to take effect for this year's elections, saying state and local officials did not have sufficient time to implement them, though he wrote there was "at least a fair prospect" the Postal Service has authority to impose such requirements in the future. Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas dissented. President Donald Trump criticized the ruling, calling it a "bad decision" and saying it would make mail-ballot fraud easier.
What To Watch
Officials say the prosecutions are part of a continuing effort to enforce laws barring noncitizens from voting and to deter fraudulent registration and petition practices. Many defendants are charged with federal crimes and face potential prison terms and fines; all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.
Help us improve.
