Federal Authorities Announce New Election Fraud Cases Nationwide

The Department of Justice has announced a series of federal election-related cases across the country, targeting allegations of noncitizen voting, fraudulent voter registration, and other election crimes. White House officials stated that individuals found to be illegally voting will face arrest and prosecution, emphasizing that only U.S. citizens should participate in electing American leaders.

These recent actions span states including California, Kansas, Louisiana, Texas, and Massachusetts. The prosecutions are part of a broader effort to enhance election security. "Any non-citizens found registering and voting in our elections will be arrested and held accountable," said White House spokeswoman Lauren Bis. U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche warned that those attempting to "game the election system, voting illegally, or committing voter fraud" will be prosecuted.

Among the cases highlighted, a mayoral candidate in Louisiana, Bridget Johnson, is accused of fraudulently registering a Jamaican national, Michael Wedderburn, who then allegedly voted in a federal election and the same mayoral race. Johnson faces charges of fraudulent voter registration and voting by an alien, while Wedderburn is charged with voting by an alien. If convicted, Johnson could face up to five years in prison, and Wedderburn up to one year.

In California, three individuals are charged in connection with an alleged scheme involving stolen identities of registered voters to falsify signatures on ballot-initiative petitions. Prosecutors allege that James Brass and Courtney Price paid individuals, some on Los Angeles' Skid Row, to copy personal information from stolen identities onto petitions and forge signatures. Brass and a third defendant, Jateisha Herron, allegedly falsely certified that they witnessed the registered voters sign the petitions. Brass allegedly received a substantial sum for his involvement.

This Skid Row-related case is the second federal election prosecution this year involving alleged payments to individuals in that area for petition-related activities.

Further west, a Peruvian national and U.S. permanent resident in Kansas, Mariana Alexandra Dewey, was charged with falsely claiming U.S. citizenship, fraudulent election conduct, and voting as an alien. In Massachusetts, Nigerian national Gladys Adaeze Okafor faces charges for allegedly claiming U.S. citizenship during voter registration and subsequently voting in multiple federal elections.

Federal prosecutors in Texas announced several cases, including instances where individuals allegedly registered to vote illegally when applying for Texas driver's licenses. One Mexican national was sentenced to 36 months in federal prison for aggravated identity theft, false statements of citizenship, and illegal voting by an alien.

These prosecutions add to a growing number of federal election-related cases announced in recent weeks. The Justice Department has previously charged individuals in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Wisconsin for alleged illegal voting or fraudulent registration tied to past elections. Separately, an Indian national in Minnesota was charged with falsely claiming U.S. citizenship to vote in the current election cycle.

In a separate development, the Supreme Court ruled against the U.S. Postal Service's proposed stricter ballot-mail requirements for upcoming elections. The blocked rules would have mandated specially designed envelopes with unique voter barcodes and required states to submit envelope designs for USPS review. However, a provision of a related executive order directing the federal government to create citizenship lists for states to verify voter rolls remains in effect.