Federal Prosecutors Charge Five Noncitizens in Texas Illegal Voting Cases
The US Attorney's Office in Houston says five noncitizens from three countries face charges in cases tied to voting in federal elections.
Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of Texas said Friday that they have charged five noncitizens in cases tied to voting in federal elections.
The charges cover unlawful voting, lying on immigration documents and falsely claiming American citizenship, according to the US Attorney’s Office. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Homeland Security Investigations ran the investigation, with help from the Texas Attorney General’s Office and US Citizenship and Immigration Services.
“American elections are for Americans only, and these foreigners will be brought to justice,” US Attorney Aaron Reitz said.
The five cases
Ali Khan, 33, of La Porte, is a citizen of Trinidad and Tobago. The release calls him an “illegal alien” and a recipient of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. Mohammed Omar Hassan, 61, of Houston, is a citizen of Nigeria. Prosecutors charged each in Houston with voting by an alien in a federal election. They allege that Khan voted in the 2024 election and that Hassan voted in 2022 and 2024.
Diego Benavides Rodriguez, 29, of Laredo, is charged out of the Laredo office with illegal voting and with falsely claiming US citizenship. Prosecutors allege that he voted in 2024.
Jose Vazquez-Mendoza, 51, of Port Isabel, is charged out of the Brownsville office. Prosecutors allege that he voted in the 2022 special election for Congressional District 34.
A McAllen grand jury indicted Karen Hinojosa-Martinez, 37, of McAllen, on a charge of lying on immigration documents after allegedly voting in a federal election.
Benavides Rodriguez, Vazquez-Mendoza and Hinojosa-Martinez are Mexican citizens. Prosecutors said that all but Khan are or were lawful permanent residents, who cannot vote in federal elections because they are not citizens.
The penalties
Benavides Rodriguez and Hinojosa-Martinez face up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine on the citizenship and immigration document charges. The illegal voting charge carries up to one year and a $10,000 fine.
An indictment or information is an accusation, not evidence, and each defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted.
Texans finish voting Tuesday. “Voting in U.S. elections is a right reserved for U.S. citizens,” Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge John A. Pasciucco said.
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