Politics · Sunday, October 25, 2026
Nine people in Pennsylvania are charged with voting illegally
The File desk · Oct. 25, 2026, 6:41 a.m. ET
Confirmed1 primary sources
Status
Confirmed from the Justice Department release of Friday, Oct. 23, 2026. The charges are allegations. The release says each person was charged by criminal information. This story maps the offense to .
Legal instrument
18 U.S.C. § 611
Makes it a federal crime for a noncitizen to vote in an election for President, Vice President, or Congress, with narrow exceptions written into the statute. The penalty is a fine, up to a year in prison, or both.
- ConfirmedNine people were charged in the Eastern and Middle Districts of Pennsylvania. The release says they are not U.S. citizens and that they voted anyway.
- ConfirmedNo trial date is in the release. The charges are accusations.
Federal prosecutors in Pennsylvania charged nine people on Friday with voting in a federal election though they are not U.S. citizens. The charges are accusations, not findings. Eight of the nine are described as lawful permanent residents. The oldest is 80 and the youngest is 21.1
U.S. Attorney David Metcalf in the Eastern District and U.S. Attorney Brian Miller in the Middle District announced the cases. Homeland Security Investigations investigated. Each person was charged by a criminal information, not an indictment, with the offense in . The release says the votes were in the 2022 general election, the 2024 general election, or both. It says that under federal and state law only citizens may vote in Pennsylvania.1
Legal instrument
18 U.S.C. § 611
Makes it a federal crime for a noncitizen to vote in an election for President, Vice President, or Congress, with narrow exceptions written into the statute. The penalty is a fine, up to a year in prison, or both.
Artur Kopacz, 50, of Philadelphia, is charged with two counts and faces up to two years if convicted. The others are each charged with one count and face up to one year. The release describes eight defendants as lawful permanent residents. It describes Alfredo Santiesteban, 73, of Philadelphia, as a citizen of Cuba and does not use the phrase lawful permanent resident for him. The other names, ages, and countries of citizenship are in the notes.2
Why it matters (Estimate). Nine criminal cases, spread across two federal districts, say people who were not citizens cast ballots in recent federal elections. One vote does not decide a statewide race, but a charge of illegal voting is how the government says it protects the rule that citizenship is the ticket to a federal ballot. These remain accusations. None of the nine has been convicted in this release.
The release's last line says the charges are accusations and that every defendant is presumed innocent unless proved guilty. No court date is given.
How we know
Notes
- 1.U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, “Nine Pennsylvania Non-Citizens Charged with Illegally Voting,” Friday, October 23, 2026. https://www.justice.gov/usao-edpa/pr/nine-pennsylvania-non-citizens-charged-illegally-voting Announced by David Metcalf and Brian Miller. “Nine non-citizens have been charged separately with illegally voting, despite knowing that they were not U.S. citizens.” Investigated by Homeland Security Investigations. The release names the offense and does not print a statute section. This story identifies that offense as , the federal ban on a noncitizen voting in an election for president, vice president, or Congress. Charges are allegations. Defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proved guilty. The release: “The charges and allegations contained in the informations are merely accusations. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.” Charges are allegations; defendants are presumed innocent.
Legal instrument
18 U.S.C. § 611
Makes it a federal crime for a noncitizen to vote in an election for President, Vice President, or Congress, with narrow exceptions written into the statute. The penalty is a fine, up to a year in prison, or both.
- 2.Same release. Eastern District: Artur Kopacz, 50, of Philadelphia, a citizen of Poland and a lawful permanent resident, two counts, 2022 and 2024 general elections, maximum two years. Osmal Loy, 70, of Fountain Hill, Cuba, lawful permanent resident, 2024, one year. Yehuda Peer, 30, of Merion Station, Israel, lawful permanent resident, 2024, one year. Alfredo Santiesteban, 73, of Philadelphia, Cuba; the release does not call him a lawful permanent resident; 2024; one year. Middle District: Joyce Donovan, 38, of Selinsgrove, Kenya, lawful permanent resident, 2024. Inna Henry, 52, of Harrisburg, Russia, lawful permanent resident, 2022 and 2024. Nourten Kuruju, 64, of Luzerne, Greece, lawful permanent resident, 2022. Nina Nyawara, 21, of Selinsgrove, Kenya, lawful permanent resident, 2024. Joyce Pitts, 80, of Effort, the Netherlands, lawful permanent resident, 2024. The one-count maximum stated for those defendants is one year.
What is still unknown or disputed
- Any plea. Not in the release.
- Any court date. Not in the release.
- Whether any ballot was counted, and in which contest it could have mattered. The release alleges the votes and does not show a changed outcome.
Primary sources
Every claim in this story is drawn from the documents below. If a fetch failed, that is recorded on the card.
Source 1
Nine Pennsylvania Non-Citizens Charged with Illegally Voting
U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Pennsylvania · October 23, 2026
Nine non-citizens were charged with illegally voting in the 2022 general election, the 2024 general election, or both.
https://www.justice.gov/usao-edpa/pr/nine-pennsylvania-non-citizens-charged-illegally-voting