Federal Prosecutors Charge Six More Noncitizens With Illegally Voting in California, One Day Before the Midterms
Updated: 1 hour ago
Federal prosecutors in California have filed criminal complaints charging six more noncitizens with illegally voting in the 2024 presidential election, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of California announced Monday, one day before the Nov. 3 midterm elections.
Update (7:05 PM ET, Nov. 2): Lauren Horwood, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of California, told The Digital Free Press that the defendants are charged under 18 U.S.C. § 611, which prohibits voting by an alien in a federal election. None of the defendants are in custody, she said; initial appearance dates for all defendants are listed in the office's press release except for Janelyn Stewart, whose appearance has not yet been set. Horwood said the defendants were in some cases identified by comparing voter registration and voting records with other databases, such as DMV or immigration files.
"These complaints reflect the seriousness with which the United States government strives to protect the privileges of American citizenship," U.S. Attorney Eric Grant said in the release. "The right to vote is one of the most fundamental of those privileges, and its theft by noncitizens will be prosecuted."
Who Is Charged With Illegal Voting
According to the Justice Department release reviewed by The Digital Free Press, four of the six defendants are Philippine nationals and two are Portuguese nationals. They live in Hanford, Fresno, Visalia, Turlock, Vallejo and Sacramento, and range in age from 26 to 59.
The release names them as Lorie Jane Alcala, 44, of Hanford; Edith San Pedro Carter, 59, of Fresno; Maria Joao Bettencourt, 49, of Visalia; Rosa Bento Silva Anderson, 26, of Turlock; Janelyn Stewart, 38, of Vallejo; and Meryll Joy Quirong Costi, 36, of Sacramento.
All six are charged with illegally voting in the Nov. 5, 2024, presidential election. Prosecutors say Costi also voted illegally in the Nov. 8, 2022, midterm election, making her the only one of the six charged over two federal elections.
Alcala and Carter made their initial appearances in federal court on Oct. 30. Bettencourt, Anderson and Costi were scheduled to appear Monday afternoon in Fresno and Sacramento. The release does not list a court date for Stewart.
Follows 'Operation Protect the Vote'
The office described the six as "additional" defendants. On Oct. 19, the Justice Department announced that 28 foreign nationals had been charged in California in a sweep it called "Operation Protect the Vote," with 11 of them arrested that day.
In a post on X announcing that operation, the department said it was "a coordinated effort among all four California-based U.S. Attorney's Offices to combat and root out fraud in U.S. elections and protect electoral integrity."
Video: U.S. Department of Justice (@TheJusticeDept) on X, "Operation Protect the Vote" (file, Oct. 20, 2026)
Monday's cases were investigated by the FBI and Homeland Security Investigations, according to the release. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joshua Banister and Kevin Khasigian are prosecuting. Khasigian was named the district's election officer for the midterms on Oct. 26.
What the Defendants Face
If convicted, each defendant faces a maximum of one year in prison and a fine of up to $100,000, the office said, with any sentence set by a judge.
The release states that the charges are only allegations and that the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. None of the six has been convicted.
The Digital Free Press has reached out to the Justice Department for comment and received a response (see update above).
Sources: U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of California, "Six Additional Aliens Charged with Illegal Voting in the Counties of Fresno, Kings, Sacramento, Solano, Stanislaus, and Tulare," Nov. 2, 2026 (https://www.justice.gov/usao-edca/pr/six-additional-aliens-charged-illegal-voting-counties-fresno-kings-sacramento-solano); U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of California news page, related releases of Oct. 19 and Oct. 26, 2026 (https://www.justice.gov/usao-edca/pr); U.S. Department of Justice post on X, Oct. 20, 2026 (https://x.com/TheJusticeDept/status/2112563468108714151).
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