Nine Pennsylvania residents have been charged separately with illegally voting despite knowing they were not United States citizens, the US Department of Justice announced on Friday, October 23, 2026. The charges were announced by David Metcalf, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, and Brian Miller, United States Attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. Under both federal and state law, only United States citizens may vote in Pennsylvania. The cases were investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
Source: US Department of Justice
In the Eastern District, Artur Kopacz, 50, of Philadelphia, a citizen of Poland and a lawful permanent resident, was charged by information with two counts of voting by an alien. Prosecutors allege he illegally voted in the 2022 and 2024 general elections. If convicted, he faces a maximum possible sentence of a fine, two years in prison, or both.
Source: US Department of Justice
Also in the Eastern District, Osmal Loy, 70, of Fountain Hill, a citizen of Cuba and a lawful permanent resident, and Yehuda Peer, 30, of Merion Station, a citizen of Israel and a lawful permanent resident, were each charged with one count of voting by an alien over the 2024 general election. Alfredo Santiesteban, 73, of Philadelphia, a citizen of Cuba, was also charged with one count over the 2024 election. If convicted, each faces a maximum possible sentence of a fine, one year in prison, or both.
Source: US Department of Justice
In the Middle District, Joyce Donovan, 38, of Selinsgrove, a citizen of Kenya and a lawful permanent resident, and Nina Nyawara, 21, also of Selinsgrove, a citizen of Kenya and a lawful permanent resident, were each charged with one count over the 2024 election. Inna Henry, 52, of Harrisburg, a citizen of Russia and a lawful permanent resident, was charged with one count, with prosecutors alleging she voted in both the 2022 and 2024 general elections. Nourten Kuruju, 64, of Luzerne, a citizen of Greece and a lawful permanent resident, was charged over the 2022 election, and Joyce Pitts, 80, of Effort, a citizen of the Netherlands and a lawful permanent resident, was charged over the 2024 election. Each faces a maximum possible sentence of a fine, one year in prison, or both, if convicted.
Source: US Department of Justice
"Upholding the integrity of our elections, and the right of American citizens to determine the outcome, is non-negotiable," US Attorney Metcalf said. US Attorney Miller said illegal voting "undermines the integrity of our elections and harms citizens by stealing the power of our votes." HSI Philadelphia Special Agent in Charge Nathan Abel said illegally casting a ballot in a federal election "corrupts the electoral process." The Justice Department stressed that the charges are merely accusations and every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
Source: US Department of Justice
For one defendant, an explanation has already been offered. Chuck Peruto, the attorney for Kopacz, told Votebeat that his client passed the citizenship test twice but failed to include a certified copy of a criminal extract showing he had no criminal record, and voted while waiting to become a citizen because he believed he was eligible. "He's been here since he was 17 and is now 50, happily married to an American citizen," Peruto said. Attorneys for several other defendants did not immediately comment, Votebeat reported.
Source: Votebeat
Votebeat reported there is no evidence the nine cases are related or that voter fraud is happening on a widespread or coordinated scale, and that Friday's charges bring the total number of people charged with noncitizen-voting-related crimes in Pennsylvania to 20 since September. A Votebeat and Spotlight PA analysis found 176 allegedly fraudulent ballots out of more than 67 million votes cast in Pennsylvania since mid-2015, even including charges that have not been proved; the nine new cases would represent 0.00009 percent of all votes cast in those elections, the outlet calculated. Votebeat also reported that the Department of Homeland Security said in July it had identified 14,576 potential noncitizens registered to vote in Pennsylvania, but had not yet shared that list with state officials.
Source: Votebeat
For diaspora readers, the cases are a reminder of a bright legal line: a green card allows a person to live and work in the United States, but it does not allow voting in federal elections, even in a state where a noncitizen's name appears on the voter rolls. The charges come less than two weeks before the November midterm elections, amid a nationwide federal focus on election crimes.