Feds Charge 10 Foreign Nationals With Illegal Voting and Registration Fraud in Minnesota
The Justice Department announced federal charges Wednesday against 10 foreign nationals accused of illegally voting or falsely claiming U.S. citizenship to participate in Minnesota elections, including elections held in 2022, 2024 and the August 2026 primary.
A federal grand jury returned separate indictments against the defendants on Sept. 24. According to the Justice Department, all 10 are lawful permanent residents but not U.S. citizens, meaning they are prohibited from voting in federal elections. All defendants have either appeared in federal court or were scheduled to make an initial appearance.
The defendants are nationals of several countries, including Liberia, Lithuania, Ghana, Germany, Bosnia, Brazil, Canada and South Africa. Federal prosecutors allege some voted while others falsely declared themselves U.S. citizens while registering or obtaining ballots. Several defendants face both allegations.
One of the defendants, Ghanaian national Joshua Frederick Kofi Edzie, is accused of voting as recently as Minnesota’s Aug. 11, 2026 primary election. Prosecutors allege he falsely claimed U.S. citizenship in connection with voting in both 2024 and 2026.
Several other defendants allegedly participated in the November 2024 general election. Federal prosecutors also accused Lithuanian national Edvile Vaidoto Edmunds of illegally voting in Minnesota’s November 2022 election.
Attorney General Todd Blanche said federal authorities intend to enforce laws restricting voting in federal elections to U.S. citizens. The cases were investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and are being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Minnesota.
Making a false claim of U.S. citizenship in order to vote can carry a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. Illegal voting by a noncitizen is a Class A misdemeanor carrying a maximum sentence of one year and a fine of up to $100,000.
The Minnesota cases come as the Justice Department expands election-related enforcement nationwide. Two days earlier, federal officials announced charges and guilty pleas involving another 12 people in election cases across several states, including allegations of noncitizen voting, fraudulent registration and the improper disposal of hundreds of mail-in ballots.
The Trump administration has made investigations into potential noncitizen voting a major election-integrity priority. Federal agencies have been reviewing voter rolls obtained from dozens of states, although reporting on the broader effort has found false-positive matches and indicates confirmed noncitizen voting remains rare relative to the roughly 170 million registered voters nationwide.
The Minnesota indictments represent allegations rather than findings of guilt. Each of the 10 defendants is presumed innocent unless prosecutors prove the charges beyond a reasonable doubt in court.