The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey announced Friday that four noncitizens had been charged in separate criminal complaints with illegally voting in federal elections and making false statements while applying for U.S. citizenship.
The cases were brought under the District of New Jersey’s Election Integrity Task Force, a coalition of federal law enforcement partners focused on election-related crimes.
Federal law requires U.S. citizenship to register to vote or cast a ballot in federal elections. According to the criminal complaints, each of the defendants was not a U.S. citizen when they registered to vote in New Jersey and falsely certified on their voter registration forms that they were United States citizens.
After voting, each later submitted an application for naturalization (Form N-400) in which they falsely claimed, under penalty of perjury, that they had never registered to vote or voted in any federal election, prosecutors said.
The defendants were identified as 73-year-old David Neewilly, a Liberian national who voted in in the 2020 and 2024 general elections, both of which included the election for President and Vice President of the United States. He is charged with one count of voting by an alien in a federal election and one count of false statements in relation to naturalization.
Jacenth Beadle, a Jamaican national, faces one count of making false statements in relation to naturalization after illegally voting in the 2020 election. Idan Choresh, an Israeli national, is charged with voting by an alien in a federal election procurement of citizenship or naturalization unlawfully, and false statements in relation to naturalization after legally voting in the 2022 midterm elections.
Lastly, Abhinandan Vig, an Indian national, faces one count of unlawful procurement of citizenship or naturalization after voting in the 2020 presidential election.
If convicted, the defendants face maximum penalties of one year in prison for voting by an alien, five years for making false statements and 10 years for illegally attempting to procure citizenship or naturalization.
“As alleged, the defendants broke federal law by voting in elections they were not eligible to participate in, and then made false statements under oath to conceal that conduct. Today’s charges reflect this Office’s commitment to protecting the integrity of our election system, and ensuring that those who attempt to circumvent both our voting laws and our naturalization process are held accountable,” said U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer.
“This administration will not tolerate aliens who attempt to vote in our elections when they know they are not eligible. As alleged, these green card holders lied in order to register to vote and then lied again to immigration authorities by falsely claiming never to have voted in a federal election,” added acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche. “This Justice Department will use every authority to protect the integrity of U.S. elections, including by prosecuting any noncitizens who lie about their legal status in an attempt to vote.”
