Six noncitizens were indicted in Ohio after they allegedly voted in past elections despite noncitizen voting in federal elections being illegal, state Attorney General Dave Yost announced Tuesday.
Ramesh Patel, 68, was indicted on one count of illegal voting after he allegedly voted in 2014, 2016, and 2018 despite not being a citizen. Lorinda Miller, 78, was indicted on two counts of illegal voting after allegedly voting in 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019. Miller “is a legal permanent resident but lacked U.S. citizenship,” according to Yost’s office. Both Nicholas Fontaine, 32, Van Thuy Cooper, 53, and Ahmed Aden, 35, are also “legal permanent resident[s]” but not citizens, leading to their indictment. Sixty-two year-old Maria Dearaujo was also indicted on one count of illegal voting. She is a “lawful resident” but not a citizen and allegedly voted in both 2016 and 2018, according to Yost’s office.
Yost’s office said that state code permits him to “initiate a criminal proceeding for election fraud … by presenting evidence of the violation to the county prosecutor.” The attorney general may then prosecute the individuals “if the county prosecutor fails to proceed with the prosecution ‘within a reasonable amount of time.’”
Each case was referred to the respective county prosecutor, Yost’s office said.
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“The right to vote is sacred,” Yost said. “If you’re not a U.S. citizen, it’s illegal to vote — whether you thought you were allowed or not
