President Trump’s Justice Department has charged four noncitizens in Pennsylvania with election-related crimes, including a Haitian national who prosecutors say submitted eight fraudulent voter-registration applications and voted in the 2022 election. The cases come weeks before the 2026 midterms and specify names, dates, counties, and alleged ballots behind longstanding debates about election integrity.

Federal prosecutors announced charges Thursday against Cliff Sanon, Dilea Ochoa-Perez, Sade Guppy, and Eduardo Gallardo Maldonado. Two are described by the government as illegal aliens; the other two are lawful permanent residents.

The most serious allegation centers on Sanon, 39, a Haitian national living in Philadelphia. According to federal prosecutors, Sanon submitted a voter-registration application in February 2026 even though he was not a U.S. citizen. Prosecutors say that application was one of eight fraudulent registrations he submitted and that he voted in the November 2022 election. Sanon faces charges with a potential penalty of up to five years in prison, one year of supervised release, a $250,000 fine, and a $100 special assessment if convicted.

The government alleges Ochoa-Perez, 43, a Mexican national living illegally in Coatesville, cast ballots in Chester County during both the November 2022 and November 2024 general elections. Guppy, 37, a lawful permanent resident from Trinidad and Tobago, was charged with voting in Philadelphia County in November 2022. Maldonado, 66, a lawful permanent resident from Mexico, faces similar charges for allegedly voting in Philadelphia County during the November 2024 general election.

Pennsylvania law requires U.S. citizenship for at least one month prior to an election for voter registration, with applicants affirming citizenship and facing penalties for false information. The federal allegations specifically address defendants who were not citizens when they registered or voted.

U.S. Attorney David Metcalf stated that “our sovereignty as a nation belongs to the American people and no one else,” emphasizing that “anyone, including illegal aliens, who votes illegally in our elections will be prosecuted for corrupting our democracy.” Homeland Security Investigations handled the Pennsylvania cases.

These charges are part of a broader Justice Department initiative targeting noncitizen voting across multiple states, with similar cases recently announced in Texas, Massachusetts, Wisconsin, New Jersey, Michigan, Georgia, and Idaho. Every defendant remains presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.