Federal agents arrested ten non-citizens in North Carolina on October 14 and 15 after a federal grand jury indicted them for allegedly voting illegally in U.S. elections, the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement on October 23 and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina announced. Nine of those arrested are lawful permanent residents and one is a person DHS described as an illegal alien from El Salvador. An indictment is an allegation, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
Source: Department of Homeland Security
Prosecutors allege that all ten falsely claimed to be U.S. citizens while registering to vote, and that most also cast ballots in federal elections. The charges were brought under federal laws covering voting by an alien and false claims to citizenship, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle said the indictments should serve as a warning ahead of the 2026 election, while FBI Special Agent in Charge Reid Davis said every FBI field office assigns dedicated election-crimes coordinators.
Source: U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of North Carolina (DOJ)
DHS named the ten arrested people and summarised the allegations against each. They include Edduard Omar Majano-Sosa of El Salvador, who is alleged to have voted in the 2024 general election and who also faces a prohibited-person-with-a-firearm charge after a pistol was allegedly found in his vehicle; Karl Paul Fout of Germany, who is alleged to have voted in seven general elections from 2008 to 2024; and Ramona Abreu-Exia of Germany, who is alleged to have voted in eight general elections from 2004 to 2024. The others named by DHS are Lawton Caswell Broomfield E McKenzie and Mervin Sylvester Bogle of Jamaica, Lionel Paul of Haiti, James Edward Herrmann of Germany, Robert Harold Corbett of Canada, Ludgardys Olena Matthews of Panama and Gjina Gojcaj McDonald of Montenegro. These details are the government's allegations as published by DHS, not court findings.
Source: Department of Homeland Security
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said those arrested had been charged with illegally voting in multiple elections, and acting ICE Director David J. Venturella said election laws are not optional. DHS presented the North Carolina arrests as part of a wider administration focus on non-citizen voting, listing similar recent arrests and charges in New Jersey, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Kansas and Louisiana. For immigrant readers, the practical point is strict: only U.S. citizens may vote in federal elections, and a false claim to citizenship on a registration form can bring criminal charges and immigration consequences.
The arrests were announced as early voting for the November 3 midterm elections was under way in North Carolina. Federal officials said the investigation is ongoing. No trial dates or pleas were announced in either statement.