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Federal officials have charged 16 alleged noncitizen voters across the U.S. in recent weeks as President Donald Trump’s administration looks to crack down on potential illegal voting with the midterm elections just weeks away.
Those charged include voters in key swing states, such as Michigan, Wisconsin, and Texas. Several were already known, but the U.S. Department of Justice announced a number of new cases last Friday evening.
Noncitizen voting is very rare, but rooting it out has become a key focus for Republicans across the U.S. in Trump’s second term. When it is uncovered, it is typically investigated and prosecuted.
The alleged noncitizen voters are from several countries and live all across the U.S. There is no suggestion the cases are related.
Michigan
In Michigan, Victoria Viktorivna Aquilina, 43, was charged with illegally voting in the 2024 general election. Aquilina came to the U.S. in 2005 through an au pair program, according to court documents. She never became a citizen.
She’s the seventh person to be publicly charged with noncitizen voting in Michigan’s 2024 election. One person, Haoxiang Gao, fled the country after being charged. Others are still making their way through the court system.
An attorney was not listed for Aquilina in court records.
Wisconsin
Julieta Engelstad, 53, a lawful permanent resident living in Wisconsin, was charged with falsely claiming citizenship when registering to vote in the 2022 election, according to court records.
She is at least the second person to be charged with crimes connected to Wisconsin’s 2022 election in the last few weeks.
Attorneys for Engelstad did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Texas
In Texas, Monica Carzoli, 46, was charged with registering to vote and voting in the 2024 election. Carzoli has been a teacher for the past 28 years, according to court documents, and has been a lawful permanent resident of the U.S. since 2023. Her attorney did not have any additional comment Monday.
Seven other Texans were also charged last week in connection with alleged noncitizen voting, all in Tarrant County.
Georgia
Three people are also facing charges in Georgia. Pauline Lewis, 65, allegedly used a falsified U.S. Virgin Islands birth certificate to get a passport and register to vote, according to court records. Lewis is accused of voting twice in 2020 and at least once in 2024.
Gabriel Covarrubias, 44, is accused of voting in the 2024 general election under a false name. He is also charged with making a false statement in a U.S. passport application. According to court records, Covarrubias claimed to be born in Puerto Rico to get a U.S. passport.
Analiea Milliscent Eccles is accused of voting in elections in 2008, 2012, 2020, 2022, and 2024. Eccles is out on $10,000 bond.
Attorneys for the three people charged in Georgia did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
New Jersey
One person was charged in New Jersey: Sanata Coulibaly allegedly falsely attested that she was a citizen when registering to vote in 2016 and then voted in 2018, 2020, and 2024.
She is further accused of making fraudulent statements in applications for naturalization. According to court records, Coulibaly, a lawful permanent resident, has lived in the U.S. since 1993. Her attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Idaho
In Idaho, one person, Fredy Avila Gomez, is accused of falsely claiming U.S. citizenship when registering to vote and then voting in 2022 and 2024. Court records show he was indicted on a number of charges, including making a false statement of citizenship in order to vote, voting as an alien, and unlawfully possessing a firearm. An attorney for Gomez did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday.
Massachusetts
Finally, in Massachusetts, Gladys Adaeze Okafor was charged with allegedly voting in elections in 2022 and 2024. Court records show Okafor has been a lawful permanent resident since December 2022.
Court documents include two separate applications Okafor allegedly filled out to vote in Massachusetts, including one in which she appears to have checked “yes” in response to the question, “Are you a citizen of the United States of America?”
Records show she has been released. Her attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Hayley Harding is a reporter for Votebeat based in Michigan. Contact Hayley at hharding@votebeat.org.
