DOJ charges 16 people with election-related crimes as midterms loom
The Department of Justice announced on Monday a slate of charges involving 16 people. The charges are related to allegations of election crimes, and come amid the home stretch of early voting headed into the 2026 midterm elections.
by Summer Lane | October 12, 2026
This week, the Department of Justice moved to crack down on election-related fraud, announcing charges for 16 individuals across multiple states.
According to the DOJ, the cases include: aliens voting in federal elections, false claims of U.S. citizenship in order to register to vote, voting on behalf of the deceased, voting multiple times in the same election, false statements on citizenship applications, and unlawful procurement of citizenship.
One case in the district of New Mexico, for example, outlines charges against Patrick Perea, 62. He allegedly attempted to cast a ballot for his deceased wife in the November 2024 general election.
And in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, the DOJ said that an illegal alien and three other lawful permanent residents were charged “with voting by an alien” in 2024. The charged were identified as Hacina Saadi, an “illegal alien from France,” Pakistani nationals Jamil Ahmad and Nighat Jamil, and Portuguese national Paulo Silva.
In the Southern District of Alabama, authorities charged Peruvian national Silvia Delgado Phelps, 78, a permanent resident of the U.S., with an indictment alleging that she voted as an alien in several elections in Baldwin County. Jamaican national Staciann Pollion Davis, 42, also a permanent resident, was charged with allegedly voting as an alien in the 2024 general election in Clarke County.
The DOJ additionally charged individuals in Missouri, Idaho, New Jersey, Ohio, Hawaii, and Kentucky.
“Democrats are doing their best to DENY it’s happening — but there is new evidence every day of the alarming vulnerabilities in election systems across our country,” said Speaker of the House Mike Johnson on Monday, in response to the DOJ’s announcement.
He continued, “Republicans are fighting for election security, to ensure that ONLY Americans decide American elections. Incredibly, Democrats OPPOSE stronger safeguards to prevent the fraud. Why?! Because that’s what so many of them rely upon!”
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