3 Georgia residents charged with voting as noncitizens
A "Vote Here" signs directs voters to a precinct during the presidential primary elections in Atlanta, Georgia, on March 12, 2024. (Photo by Elijah Nouvelage / AFP) (Photo by ELIJAH NOUVELAGE/AFP via Getty Images)
ATLANTA - Three Georgia residents who are not U.S. citizens face federal charges accusing them of illegally voting in recent elections.
What we know:
The cases involve residents of Dawsonville, Lawrenceville and Morrow. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia said the charges were filed beginning Sept. 1. U.S. Department of Justice
Dawsonville woman accused of voting three times
What they're saying:
Pauline Lewis, 65, is accused of voting by absentee ballot in the November 2020, January 2021 and November 2024 federal elections.
Prosecutors said Lewis is a citizen of Antigua and Barbuda who entered the United States on a student visa in 1979. They said she remained in the country but never applied for U.S. citizenship.
Lewis was arrested and charged through a criminal complaint with voting as a noncitizen.
Lawrenceville man accused of using false identity
Gabriel Covarrubias, 44, is accused of voting in person under a false name in the November 2024 election.
Prosecutors allege that Covarrubias, a Mexican citizen, submitted a passport application in 2023 claiming he had a different name and was born in Puerto Rico.
Covarrubias waived indictment and was charged by criminal information with making a false statement on a passport application and voting as a noncitizen.
Morrow woman accused of voting nine times
Analiea Milliscent Eccles, 43, is accused of voting nine times between 2008 and 2024.
Prosecutors said Eccles is a Venezuelan citizen who entered the United States on a temporary visitor visa in 1991. She received Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals status in 2013 but has not applied to become a U.S. citizen.
Eccles is charged through a criminal complaint with voting as a noncitizen and falsely claiming U.S. citizenship to vote.
Investigation continues
What's next:
The cases are being investigated by the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service and Homeland Security Investigations, with help from the Georgia secretary of state’s office.
"Voting in federal elections is a sacred right reserved to U.S. citizens," U.S. Attorney Theodore Hertzberg said.
The charges are allegations. None of the three defendants has been convicted, and each is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.