Two Cubans with permanent residency in the United States are among six foreigners charged by the federal prosecutor in Florida with voting illegally in the 2022 and 2024 elections, despite not having U.S. citizenship; and one of them faces charges that could lead to a prison sentence of up to five years.
The new processes were announced this Thursday by the United States Department of Justice, as part of a series of federal actions against alleged electoral irregularities related to the participation of individuals without U.S. citizenship.
The two Cubans, identified by their initials as J.O.S.S., 60 years old, and L.M.P., 72, have legal permanent residency in the country, according to the Middle District of Florida Prosecutor's Office.
According to the accusation, the individual registered to vote in 2022 and allegedly participated in the federal general elections of that year and in 2024, despite being aware that he did not have U.S. citizenship.
For these actions, he faces charges of false declaration of citizenship to vote and illegal electoral participation by a foreigner.
If found guilty, he could face up to five years in federal prison for the false statement and up to one year for the electoral offense, according to the maximum penalties established for both offenses.
In the case of L.M.P., 72 years old, the Prosecutor's Office asserts that he also would have voted in the federal general elections of 2022 and 2024 without meeting the citizenship requirement.
The man faces a charge of illegal voting by a foreigner, which carries a maximum penalty of one year in federal prison.
Four other foreigners are also facing charges
Federal prosecutor Gregory W. Kehoe announced that the charges include four other individuals with legal permanent residency in the United States.
This involves an 81-year-old Ecuadorian citizen, two Canadians aged 69 and 55, and a 37-year-old Brazilian.
According to the Department of Justice, three of the six foreigners were formally charged by a federal grand jury with falsely declaring U.S. citizenship to vote and illegally participating in elections.
The other three face charges of illegal voting through prosecution documents submitted by the Public Prosecutor's Office.
The cases were investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Florida Department of State's Election Crimes Office, and the Hernando County Supervisor of Elections office.
The authorities emphasized that the accusations do not constitute evidence of guilt and that all the defendants maintain their presumption of innocence.
Other Cubans have faced similar accusations in the United States
The new cases add to other federal processes announced in recent weeks due to alleged violations of U.S. electoral laws.
On October 6, a 64-year-old Cuban permanent resident was arrested in Kansas City, Missouri, accused of voting illegally in the federal elections of 2022 and 2024.
Although the charges pertain to those two elections, the prosecution stated that the man would have participated in at least 15 elections over the past 20 years, 13 of which were federal.
One day earlier, on October 5, the Department of Justice filed charges against 16 foreigners for alleged electoral offenses in various states.
Among the accused was another Cuban, 68 years old, also a legal permanent resident, whom authorities allege voted without U.S. citizenship in the 2024 general elections in Louisiana.
The intensification of processes has also been recorded in Florida. In September, Governor Ron DeSantis and state Attorney General James Uthmeier announced the arrest and prosecution of 20 individuals for alleged electoral irregularities.
According to state authorities, 16 of the accused were foreigners who allegedly registered to vote after falsely declaring that they were U.S. citizens.
Federal investigations have also included a massive review of electoral records. Documents released by the organization Democracy Forward revealed that HSI had processed over 99 million voter records to search for potential irregularities related to citizenship.
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