The Justice Department announced charges Monday against four immigrants who authorities said falsely claimed citizenship to cast illegal votes in U.S. elections in New Jersey.
The cases — each was charged separately — run the gamut from one who overstayed a visa and was here illegally to one who came as a refugee from Liberia. In each case, they eventually applied to naturalize and, according to authorities, lied about having claimed citizenship, and having voted, in the past.
Bringing the four cases, all in New Jersey, marked an escalation in the Trump administration’s attempt to highlight a problem that opponents say doesn’t really exist.
“This administration will not tolerate aliens who attempt to vote in our elections when they know they are not eligible,” said acting Attorney General Todd Blanche.
Charged were David Neewilly, 73; Jacenth Beadle Exum, 70; Idan Choresh, 43; and Abhinandan Vig, 33.
Mr. Vig, an Indian citizen, came to the U.S. in 2012 on a spouse’s visa, registered to vote in 2016 and again in 2023, and cast ballots in 2016 and 2020, authorities said. That 2020 vote was done by a mailed-in ballot.
Ms. Beadle Exum came from Jamaica on a tourism visa in 2000 but overstayed. She registered to vote in 2018 and cast a ballot, by mail, in the 2020 election, authorities said. She would go on to apply for naturalization in 2021 and be granted it the following year — while telling authorities she had never voted illegally.
Mr. Chorech, from Israel, also came on a short-term tourist visa, in 2015. He is accused of registering in 2021 and again in 2022, and voting that same year.
Mr. Neewilly, a Liberian citizen, came as a refugee in 1998 and registered to vote in 2003 despite not being a citizen, according to the charges against him. He would vote in 2003, 2004, 2005 and again in 2020 (by mail), and in 2024, by provisional ballot.
He applied to naturalize last year and, when confronted in an interview, admitted to twice voting illegally, authorities said.
Illegally voting as a noncitizen in a federal election carries a penalty of up to a year in prison, but the real teeth come in lying to attain citizenship.
False statements during the naturalization process can earn five years, and false statements that lead to procurement of citizenship can be punished by up to 10 years in prison.
“Noncitizens voting is a federal crime — period — and while other administrations may have looked the other way in the past, those days are over,” said FBI Director Kash Patel.
Voting rights advocates say noncitizen voting is so small a problem as to be negligible, and doesn’t deserve the kind of intensive review of voter lists, and the potential for hassling actual citizen voters, that could result.
President Trump, however, has claimed voter fraud, including by noncitizens, is a substantial issue that taints elections.
