RALEIGH, North Carolina — A federal grand jury has indicted 10 noncitizens for allegedly voting illegally in the 2024 elections in North Carolina, U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle for the Eastern District of North Carolina announced. The indictments, brought under federal laws covering voting by noncitizens and false claims to U.S. citizenship, followed an investigation by the FBI and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the U.S. Attorney's Office said.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of North Carolina
Federal agents arrested the defendants on October 14 and 15, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which issued a detailed statement on October 23. Nine of the 10 are lawful permanent residents, and one — a man from El Salvador living in Cumberland County — is described by officials as an illegal alien who also faces an additional firearms charge after a pistol was allegedly found in his vehicle during his arrest. Those details are the government's allegations, not court findings.
Source: U.S. Department of Homeland Security statement, Oct. 23, 2026
DHS alleged that several defendants voted not once but repeatedly over many years. It said one defendant, originally from Germany and lawfully admitted in 1977, allegedly voted in eight general elections between 2004 and 2024; a defendant from Canada allegedly voted in six general elections between 1998 and 2024; and defendants from Germany and Montenegro allegedly voted in seven general elections each. All 10 are accused of falsely claiming U.S. citizenship when registering, and most are also charged with voting by a noncitizen in a federal election.
Source: U.S. Department of Homeland Security statement, Oct. 23, 2026
"Every non-citizen who chooses to illegally vote subverts our constitutional republic, actively canceling out the vote of a law-abiding citizen," Boyle said, warning that the indictments should serve as a warning to anyone contemplating voting illegally in the 2026 election. FBI Director Kash Patel said protecting American elections from criminal interference is a top priority for the bureau. An indictment is an allegation only: the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until the government proves the charges in court.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of North Carolina
The announcement came as early voting for the November midterm elections was getting under way in North Carolina, and WRAL reported that state and federal officials unveiled the charges at a press conference as voters began casting ballots. DHS said the arrests are part of a wider administration effort against noncitizen voting, with similar cases announced in recent months in Minnesota, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Missouri and Kansas.
Source: U.S. Department of Homeland Security statement, Oct. 23, 2026