The Briefing:
- Ten defendants from eight countries were separately indicted on September 24, 2026; all are lawful permanent residents (green card holders), not undocumented immigrants.
- The alleged illegal votes span three election cycles: the November 2022 general, the November 2024 general, and the August 11, 2026 Minnesota primary.
- The felony charge — falsely claiming U.S. citizenship in order to vote — carries up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine; eight of the ten defendants face it. Two defendants face only the accompanying misdemeanor count.
- The investigation was led by Homeland Security Investigations; First Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph S. Teirab is prosecuting the cases.
A federal grand jury in Minneapolis returned ten separate indictments on September 24, 2026, charging foreign nationals from eight countries with casting illegal ballots in U.S. elections — including one defendant who allegedly voted at a Minnesota polling place on August 11, the day of the state's primary, less than seven weeks before the charges became public.
The Justice Department announced the charges on September 30, with Attorney General Todd Blanche, DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin, and U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen sharing a joint announcement. The Minnesota indictments arrived as the Trump administration's total count of noncitizen voting defendants reached 50 nationwide, cementing the state as a focal point in a federal enforcement campaign that shows no sign of slowing ahead of November's midterms.
Who Was Indicted — and What Each Person Is Accused Of
The defendants range in age from 43 to 78 and represent national origins spanning four continents — Africa, Europe, North America, and South America. All ten are lawful permanent residents of the United States. According to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Minnesota, the following individuals were charged:
Edvile Vaidoto Edmunds, 59, a Lithuanian national, carries the earliest alleged offense in the group: a single misdemeanor count for voting as a noncitizen in Minnesota on November 8, 2022.
Joshua Frederick Kofi Edzie, 63, a Ghanaian national, faces the highest charge count among the ten. Prosecutors allege he made a false claim of U.S. citizenship in connection with the October 2024 election and then repeated that false statement on August 11, 2026 — the same day he allegedly cast an illegal ballot in the state primary. He faces two felony counts for the false citizenship claims and one misdemeanor count for the illegal vote itself.
Paul Kras, 78, a German national and the oldest defendant in the case, faces a single misdemeanor count for voting illegally in the November 5, 2024 general election.
Three Liberian nationals are also among those charged. Bhator Konah Bryant, 61, faces one felony count for falsely claiming U.S. citizenship when registering to vote on October 18, 2024. Alan Barbu Kargbo, 48, and Chris Adam Pettiquoi, 43, each face a felony count for a false citizenship claim and a misdemeanor count for voting illegally, both tied to November 5, 2024.
The remaining four defendants — Fadil Rasim Ozegovic, 58 (Bosnia); Aparecido Donizetti Padovan, 62 (Brazil); Christian Liam Schenk, 47 (Canada); and Hester Sophia Weihmann, 69 (South Africa) — each face the same pairing: one felony count for a false citizenship claim and one misdemeanor count for voting illegally, both connected to November 5, 2024. Schenk, notably, made his initial court appearance in the District of Massachusetts rather than in Minnesota. All ten defendants have since appeared before a federal magistrate.
What the Charges Actually Mean Under Federal Law
The indictments split into two distinct categories. Voting as a noncitizen under 18 U.S.C. § 611 is a Class A misdemeanor, carrying a maximum sentence of one year in federal prison and a fine of up to $100,000. The more serious charge — making a false claim of U.S. citizenship to register or vote, under 18 U.S.C. § 1015(f) — is a felony punishable by up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Eight of the ten defendants face at least one count of that felony charge. Edmunds and Kras each face only the misdemeanor count of voting by an alien. A conviction on either charge also triggers immigration consequences: noncitizens found guilty of election offenses can face deportation proceedings and become permanently barred from obtaining U.S. citizenship.
"We Will Find You" — The Administration's Public Warning
Senior officials used the Minnesota announcement to send a broader message. Attorney General Todd Blanche stated that "only American citizens may vote in American elections," calling enforcement of that principle fundamental to democracy and not a matter of partisan politics.
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin directed sharper language at any foreign national considering a similar course of action, warning that federal authorities "will find you, arrest you" and that the consequences would include criminal charges and deportation. He added that the Trump administration would not allow legal citizens' votes to be offset by noncitizens casting ballots.
Minnesota at the Center of a National Enforcement Surge
The Minnesota indictments are part of a much larger effort. Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald of the DOJ's Fraud Division told Fox News that the administration had reached 50 charged noncitizens nationwide by late September — a total that includes a separate wave of 16 defendants in states including Texas, Idaho, Georgia, Massachusetts, Wisconsin, New Jersey, and Michigan.
Running parallel to the criminal prosecutions, Homeland Security Investigations launched a coordinated "voter fraud surge" into nine states — California, Connecticut, Georgia, Missouri, Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania, Washington, and Wisconsin — directing field agents to pursue leads and conduct interviews through mid-October. An earlier HSI audit of public voter rolls had flagged more than 250,000 potentially registered noncitizens in just four states: California, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Nevada.
What Happens Next
The cases are being prosecuted by First Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph S. Teirab and stem from an Homeland Security Investigations probe. As proceedings advance, prosecutors must prove every element of each count beyond a reasonable doubt. The Justice Department emphasized, as required by law, that indictments represent accusations only and that all defendants are presumed innocent unless convicted at trial.
