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The U.S. Department of Justice announced on Friday that nine noncitizens living in Pennsylvania have been charged with illegally voting in the 2022 and 2024 general elections — the latest prosecutions in the Trump administration's nationwide crackdown on noncitizen voting ahead of the November 3 midterm elections.
The charges were announced by David Metcalf, the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, and Brian Miller, the United States Attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. The cases were investigated by Homeland Security Investigations.
"Upholding the integrity of our elections, and the right of American citizens to determine the outcome, is non-negotiable," Metcalf said. "Our democracy depends on it."
Each of the nine was charged separately by information with voting by an alien. Under both federal and state law, only United States citizens may vote in Pennsylvania. Eight of the nine are lawful permanent residents of the United States.
In the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Artur Kopacz, 50, of Philadelphia — a citizen of Poland and lawful permanent U.S. resident — was charged with two counts of voting by an alien, accused of illegally voting in both the 2022 and 2024 general elections. If convicted, he faces a fine and up to two years in prison. His attorney, Chuck Peruto, said Kopacz passed the citizenship test twice but failed to submit a certified copy of his criminal extract, and voted while waiting to become a citizen because he believed he was eligible. "He's been here since he was 17 and is now 50, happily married to an American citizen," Peruto said.
Osmal Loy, 70, of Fountain Hill — a citizen of Cuba and lawful permanent resident — was charged with one count of voting by an alien in the 2024 general election. Yehuda Peer, 30, of Merion Station — a citizen of Israel and lawful permanent resident — was charged with one count of voting by an alien in the 2024 election. Alfredo Santiesteban, 73, of Philadelphia — a citizen of Cuba — was charged with one count of voting by an alien in the 2024 election. Each faces a fine and up to one year in prison if convicted.
In the Middle District of Pennsylvania, Joyce Donovan, 38, of Selinsgrove — a citizen of Kenya and lawful permanent resident — was charged with one count of voting by an alien in the 2024 election. Inna Henry, 52, of Harrisburg — a citizen of Russia and lawful permanent resident — was charged with one count of voting by an alien, accused of voting in both the 2022 and 2024 general elections. Nourten Kuruju, 64, of Luzerne — a citizen of Greece and lawful permanent resident — was charged with one count of voting by an alien in the 2022 general election. Nina Nyawara, 21, of Selinsgrove — a citizen of Kenya and lawful permanent resident — was charged with one count of voting by an alien in the 2024 election. Joyce Pitts, 80, of Effort — a citizen of the Netherlands and lawful permanent resident — was charged with one count of voting by an alien in the 2024 election. Each faces a fine and up to one year in prison if convicted.
"These cases are important because the crime of illegal voting undermines the integrity of our elections and harms citizens by stealing the power of our votes," said U.S. Attorney Miller. "Illegal voting is not a victimless crime but a serious affront to the principles of our democratic republic."
"Illegally casting a ballot in a federal election corrupts the electoral process and diminishes the voice of every lawful voter," said HSI Philadelphia Special Agent in Charge Nathan Abel. "HSI will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to investigate election-related crimes and hold accountable those who violate federal law."
The charges announced Friday bring the total number of individuals charged with noncitizen-voting-related crimes in Pennsylvania to 20 since September, according to Votebeat. Election officials contend that while noncitizen voting does occasionally happen, it is exceedingly rare: a Votebeat and Spotlight PA analysis of election crimes since mid-2015 found just 176 allegedly fraudulent ballots out of more than 67 million votes cast in that period — and if the nine individuals charged Friday are found to have illegally voted, their votes would represent 0.00009% of all votes cast in those elections.
The Trump administration has claimed that thousands of potential noncitizens are on Pennsylvania's voter rolls. In July, the Department of Homeland Security claimed it had identified 250,000 potential noncitizens registered to vote in four states, including 14,576 in Pennsylvania — but as of Friday, DHS had not shared the list with Pennsylvania officials, and the state had not heard from the department since a September 8 email in which DHS laid out its methodology.
The charges and allegations in the informations are merely accusations. Every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.