Georgia arrest among 63 in alleged U.S. election-related crimes
ATLANTA - Federal authorities brought criminal charges against 63 individuals across the country for alleged election-related offenses, including a Mexican national accused of illegal voting activity in northern Georgia.
Local perspective:
Federal prosecutors in the Northern District of Georgia charged Benito Covarrubias Iniguez, 64, a Mexican national.
Covarrubias Iniguez faces a federal charge for allegedly making a false claim of U.S. citizenship to vote in a federal election.
Iniguez, 64, appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Anna W. Howard in Gainesville on Monday on federal charges of making a false claim of citizenship in order to vote after allegedly obtaining a fraudulent passport. Federal agents arrested Iniguez earlier Monday following a criminal complaint filed on Oct. 16.
According to U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg, Iniguez entered the United States from Mexico in 2000 and obtained a passport under the name of a U.S. citizen born in Puerto Rico.
Investigators said Iniguez used the fraudulent paperwork to obtain a Georgia driver’s license, register to vote, and cast a ballot in the Nov. 5, 2024, general election.
"Votes of non-citizens impersonating Americans undermine the integrity of our cherished democratic process and diminish public confidence in our election results," Hertzberg said. "This case and the many others brought in this district and around the country reinforce that non-citizens who vote in federal elections will be found, arrested, and prosecuted."
Ryan McSeveney, special agent in charge of the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service Miami Field Office, said DSS will continue investigating passport fraud and false citizenship claims across the Southeast. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Pearce is prosecuting the case, which remains under investigation by DSS.
Iniguez is the fourth non-citizen charged with voting in federal contests in the Northern District of Georgia since September.
The prosecutions stem from the Homeland Security Task Force established under Executive Order 14159.
Pauline Lewis, 65, of Dawsonville, an Antigua and Barbuda citizen who entered on a 1979 student visa, appeared in court Sept. 18 after allegedly voting by absentee ballot in 2020, 2021, and 2024.
Gabriel Covarrubias, 44, of Lawrenceville, a Mexican national accused of using a false Puerto Rican identity on a 2023 passport application, was charged Sept. 1 with voting in person in November 2024.
Analiea Milliscent Eccles, 43, of Morrow, a Venezuelan citizen under DACA status, appeared in court Sept. 14 for allegedly voting nine times between 2008 and 2024.
Dig deeper:
The Department of Justice announced charges against 63 individuals across multiple states, including four illegal aliens, for alleged voter fraud, unlawful registration and voting by noncitizens in federal elections.
Attorney General Todd Blanche called the crackdown significant.
"Today’s announcement marks the largest surge of voter-fraud arrests since President Trump returned to office," said Attorney General Todd Blanche. "These foreign nationals allegedly took advantage of the trust of the American people and flouted the laws that govern our nation’s elections. This Department of Justice will continue investigating and prosecuting voter fraud to restore confidence in our electoral system."
By the numbers:
Over the last nine weeks, federal authorities charged 195 aliens across 25 states with illegal voting and registration violations.
Since the start of the administration, prosecutors have charged 239 people with election fraud-related crimes.
What we don't know:
Federal authorities have not released specific polling locations or target ballot details for all 63 defendants listed in the broad national announcement.
Officials have also not disclosed whether any additional co-conspirators face pending sealed indictments.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from the U.S. Department of Justice, which detailed the nationwide indictments in a federal announcement, as well as statements from Attorney General Todd Blanche.