Grand juries in Ohio have indicted six people for allegedly casting illegal votes as noncitizens in past elections.
Ahmed Aden, 35, a Columbus resident, and five others are accused of illegally voting in multiple elections despite lacking U.S. citizenship at the time, according to indictments made public on Oct. 22.
Aden allegedly cast ballots in 2008 and 2020, according to an indictment.
Nicholas Fontaine, 32, of Kent; Van Thuy Cooper, 53, of Hilliard; Maria Dearaujo, 62, of Columbus; Ramesh Patel, 68, of North Royalton; and Lorinda Miller, 78, of Hudson, have also been indicted for allegedly voting in various elections between 2014 and 2020 despite not having citizenship.
The defendants could not be reached for comment.
“If you’re not a citizen, it is illegal to vote whether you thought you were allowed to or not, and you will be held accountable in the state of Ohio,” Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said at a news conference.
Yost’s office steps in when local prosecutors decline to pursue cases against alleged criminals.
Five of the people were charged with one count of illegal voting. Miller was charged with two counts.
The law also prohibits voting more than once in one election.
Illegal voting is a fourth-degree felony that carries a potential sentence of up to 18 months in prison, but Yost said he expects that none of the defendants, if convicted, will be sentenced to prison time.
Special state prosecutors started looking at the cases and prioritized those involving noncitizens, according to Yost.
Prosecutors are still working through the cases, including other referrals made in September. Some of the cases involve voting more than once.
“We’re not done,” Yost told reporters. “There’s more investigation to do, and I anticipate there will be at least some additional cases filed.”
In some cases, local prosecutors are being presented with evidence of illegal voting. If they do not pursue cases “within a reasonable time,” Yost’s office will consider bringing charges under Ohio law.
LaRose has also been referring cases involving improper voter registration, but Yost said that his office does not have the authority to prosecute registration cases, even if prosecutors think charges are warranted.
Ohio’s Constitution states that voters must be citizens of the United States. It was updated in 2022 to make clear that the requirement also applies to local elections.
