President Trump’s Justice Department has charged four noncitizens in Pennsylvania with election-related crimes, including a Haitian national prosecutors allege submitted eight fraudulent voter-registration applications and voted in the November 2022 election.
The cases land just weeks before the 2026 midterms—and they provide concrete details about names, dates, counties, and alleged ballots behind a debate that too often gets buried beneath slogans. Federal prosecutors announced Thursday charges against Cliff Sanon, Dilea Ochoa-Perez, Sade Guppy, and Eduardo Gallardo Maldonado. Two are described as illegal aliens; the other two are lawful permanent residents.
According to federal authorities, Sanon—a Haitian national residing in Philadelphia—submitted a voter-registration application in February 2026 despite not being a U.S. citizen. Prosecutors allege this was one of eight fraudulent registrations he filed and that he cast a ballot in the November 2022 election. If convicted, Sanon faces up to five years in prison, one year of supervised release, a $250,000 fine, and a $100 special assessment.
The government states Sanon submitted eight fraudulent voter registrations, including one before the May 2026 primary. The other three cases involve alleged voting by noncitizens:
– Dilea Ochoa-Perez, a Mexican national living in Coatesville, was charged with two counts of voting as an alien after prosecutors allege she cast ballots in Chester County for both November 2022 and November 2024 elections.
– Sade Guppy, a lawful permanent resident from Trinidad and Tobago, faces one count of voting as an alien following allegations she voted in Philadelphia County during the November 2022 election.
– Eduardo Gallardo Maldonado, a lawful permanent resident from Mexico, was charged with voting as an alien after prosecutors claim he cast ballots in Philadelphia County during the November 2024 election.
Pennsylvania law requires U.S. citizens to register at least one month before an election and affirm citizenship when applying. Applicants must live in their county for at least 30 days and be 18 by Election Day. U.S. Attorney David Metcalf framed the prosecutions as a matter of national sovereignty: “Our sovereignty as a nation belongs to the American people and no one else. Anyone, including illegal aliens, who votes illegally in our elections will be prosecuted for corrupting our democracy.”
The charges are part of the Justice Department’s broader election-integrity initiative. Earlier this month, federal authorities announced similar cases against 16 individuals across Texas, Massachusetts, Wisconsin, New Jersey, Michigan, Georgia, and Idaho. Every defendant remains presumed innocent until proven guilty in court—charges are allegations, not convictions—and these cases do not establish a national scale of noncitizen voting.
The government emphasizes that the alleged violations are concrete, traceable, and have survived long enough to reach multiple election cycles.
