Matthew G.T. Martin said in a news release Wednesday that each person charged voted in a federal election in 2016 despite not being U.S. citizens, according to court documents. One also allegedly voted illegally in the 2018 federal election.
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Non-citizens are not eligible to register to vote or to vote in federal elections.
President Trump, while in North Carolina, appears to encourage people to vote twice
On August 31, a federal grand jury indicted seven people with violations voting by non-citizen, claim of U.S. citizenship by non-citizen, and false statement in a voter registration application:
- Francisco Antonio-Aguirre, 64, of Dobson
- Roob Kaur Atar-Singh, 57, of Raeford
- Rosalva Negrete-Toledo, aka Rosalva Cortes, 65, of Winston-Salem
- Dave Delano Virgil, 57, of Winston-Salem
- Eloy Alberto Zayas-Berrier, 70, of Pelham
- Emmanuel Olakunle Atoyebi, 31, of Greensboro, who also faces other charges, including giving a false statement in a naturalization proceeding and a false statement to a federal agent
- Mokhtar Qaid Ahmed Gulaimid, 48, of Raeford, who faces other charges including false statement in an immigration document and false statement in a naturalization
On Aug. 13, 12 people were charged with violating Title 18, United States Code, Section 611(a), a misdemeanor, which prohibits non-citizen voting in elections held to elect federal officials. They are:
- Ismay Prudence Kathleen James, 54, of Burlington
- Donald Christian Martyn, 44, of Durham
- Chaim Pinto, 68, of Raeford
- John Andrew Rapsky, 54, of Chapel Hill
- Baijoo Pottakulath Thomas, 58, of Durham, NC
- Shuqin Yin, 54, of Landis
- Chirong Yin Billings, aka Chirong Cummings, 56, of McLeansville
- Henry Alberto Araya-Vega, 52, of Winston-Salem
- Rufina Concho-Locklear, 75, of Greensboro
- Alberto Damaize-Job, aka Alberto Damaize, 73, of Greensboro
- Armando Nava-Juarez, aka Armando Nava, 51, of Linwood
- Manuel Efrain Valladares, 48, of Concord
If convicted, the defendants face prison time of between one and 10 years, depending on the charge. They can also be fined up to $250,000, again, depending on the charge.
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The cases were investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations.