Justice Department Charges 18 More Noncitizens in North Carolina With Illegally Voting in 2024 Election

Federal prosecutors have charged 18 more noncitizens in North Carolina with illegally voting in the 2024 election, the Justice Department announced Thursday, bringing the number of people indicted for illegal voting in the state this year to 30.

According to the department's release, nine of the new cases were filed in the Eastern District of North Carolina, five in the Middle District and four in the Western District. The 12 earlier cases were all brought in the Eastern District, which announced most of them on Oct. 15.

"If you're not an American citizen, you cannot vote in our federal elections," Acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter said in the release. "We want to prevent illegal voting from occurring, which is why we've now charged 30 people just in North Carolina."

Who Was Charged

A review by The Digital Free Press of the 18 cases described in the release found that 17 of the defendants are identified as lawful permanent residents, or green card holders. One, a 43-year-old Guatemalan man living in Robeson County, is described as being in the country illegally. He is accused of registering in 2020 and voting in the 2020 and 2024 general elections.

The defendants' listed countries of birth or citizenship include the United Kingdom, Jamaica, Mexico, Cuba, Nigeria, Kenya, France, Greece and the Dominican Republic. Two no longer live in North Carolina: one now lives in Massachusetts and another in Georgia, according to the release. Sixteen were charged by grand jury indictment and two by a criminal information.

All but two face two counts: falsely claiming U.S. citizenship in order to register or vote, and voting by an alien. Prosecutors in the Western District say the false claims in their cases were made on an "Authorization to Vote Form" or an early voting application.

Voting Records Going Back Decades

The release says several defendants in the Eastern District had been registered for years. A Bermuda-born man in Wake County is accused of registering in 2000 and voting in 12 general elections, from 2000 through 2024. A Kenya-born woman in Harnett County is accused of registering in 2008 and voting in nine general elections and nine primaries, the most recent a 2026 primary. A man born in the United Kingdom is accused of registering in 2002 and voting in four general elections.

Others are accused of registering in 2022 or 2024 and voting for the first time in the 2024 general election.

U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle of the Eastern District said in the release that "every unlawful ballot silences the voice of a lawful voter." U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson of the Western District cited the state's 2025 municipal elections, in which he said 14 races were decided by two votes, 15 by one vote and seven ended in ties.

What the Charges Carry

Falsely claiming citizenship to vote carries a maximum of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Voting by an alien carries a maximum of one year in prison and a $100,000 fine, according to the department. The FBI and Homeland Security Investigations are investigating the cases.

The charges are accusations, and all of the defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.

The announcement comes five days before the Nov. 3 midterm elections. Federal prosecutors in Nevada and Texas announced separate noncitizen voting cases earlier this week.

Sources: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs, "Justice Department Charges 18 More in North Carolina with Illegally Voting in 2024 Election" (Oct. 29, 2026): https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-charges-18-more-north-carolina-illegally-voting-2024-election ; U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina, earlier indictments announced Oct. 15, 2026: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ednc/pr/ednc-unveils-ten-federal-indictments-alleging-noncitizens-voted-2024-election . Cover photo: North Carolina State Capitol, Raleigh, by P. Hughes via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.