A Cuban permanent resident in the United States is one of the 16 foreign nationals against whom the Justice Department announced federal charges on Monday related to illegal voting and other election-related crimes.
The accused, Pedro Pablo Ruiz, aged 68, has been charged in the Eastern District of Louisiana for allegedly voting without U.S. citizenship in the 2024 general elections, as reported by the Justice Department.
Ruiz holds legal permanent residency in the United States. According to the charges, he cast a ballot in the 2024 elections, an action prohibited by federal law for those who are not U.S. citizens.
The Cuban individual is one of the 16 legal permanent residents involved in the cases announced on Monday. The accused hail from 14 countries, including Cuba, Mexico, Nicaragua, Italy, Bahamas, Brazil, Canada, Germany, and South Africa.
Broader Legal Action Across U.S. Districts
The charges are spread across federal districts in Florida, Louisiana, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. Allegations include illegal voting by non-citizens, false claims of U.S. citizenship to register or vote, and election registration fraud.
Among the highlighted cases is Sara Luma, a 30-year-old citizen of North Macedonia and legal permanent resident, accused of registering and voting on the same day during the November 2024 elections in Wisconsin.
According to the indictment, Luma signed a form certifying she was a U.S. citizen. The Justice Department also noted that she later admitted to a federal agent that she had registered and voted.
In Florida, Andrea Catanese, an Italian national aged 60, is facing charges for allegedly voting in the 2024 elections and subsequently declaring during his naturalization process that he had never participated in federal elections.
Increased Federal Scrutiny Under Trump Administration
This announcement is part of a broader federal crackdown on non-citizen voting under the Trump administration. Reuters reported in September that the Justice Department had filed charges against 32 individuals for illegal non-citizen voting within a span of just four weeks, as federal authorities intensified these investigations ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
Ruiz’s case is not the first involving a Cuban national. In January, a Cuban woman with an active deportation order since 1999 was sentenced to five years in prison after illegally voting in Arkansas in November 2024.
More recently, authorities announced charges against about twenty individuals in Florida for alleged illegal voting, including foreign nationals accused of registering as U.S. citizens.
The Justice Department emphasized that the charges are merely allegations, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Understanding Election-Related Legal Proceedings
What are the common charges related to election offenses in the U.S.?
Common charges include illegal voting by non-citizens, making false claims of U.S. citizenship to register or vote, and fraud related to voter registration.
How does the U.S. handle allegations of illegal voting?
The U.S. Justice Department prosecutes such cases, and individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court. Legal proceedings involve thorough investigations and trials to determine the validity of the charges.