Non-citizen voting charges and false
Federal authorities have charged multiple non-citizens in New Jersey and Georgia with illegally voting in federal elections and making false statements on
Patrick Terrance Reid and Danubis Bernat, both legal residents but not U.S. Citizens, are charged with voting in multiple federal elections while falsely claiming citizenship on voter registration and naturalization forms. Reid, a 61-year-old Jamaican alien from Orange, N.J., entered the U.S. On an SA1 immigrant visa. Bernat, a 49-year-old Venezuelan alien from South Amboy, N.J., entered on a B-2 tourist visa.
Reid voted in the presidential elections of 2012 and 2016 in person. He voted via mail-in ballot in the 2020 and 2024 presidential elections. Bernat voted in person in the 2024 general election. At the time of voting, neither was a U.S. Citizen. Each defendant falsely certified on voter registration forms that they were citizens. After voting illegally, both applied for U.S. Citizenship by submitting Form N-400. In those applications, they falsely claimed they had never registered to vote or voted in any federal elections.
The charges carry significant potential penalties.
| Charge | Maximum Prison Sentence | Maximum Fine |
|---|---|---|
| Voting by an alien | 1 year | $100,000 |
| Making false statements on a citizenship application | 10 years | $250,000 |
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services assisted the investigation. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey announced the cases. U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer credited special agents of the FBI, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, and USCIS. The cases were brought under the office’s Election Integrity Task Force, a coalition focused on preserving election integrity in New Jersey.
Additional cases reveal pattern in Georgia
Separate federal charges in Georgia allege a pattern of non-citizen voting and false citizenship claims. Analiea Milliscent Eccles, Pauline Lewis, and Gabriel Covarrubias face charges for voting as non-citizens, making false citizenship claims, and submitting fraudulent passport applications.
Eccles, a 43-year-old Morrow resident, entered the U.S. On a temporary visitor visa in 1991. She applied for and received Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals status in 2013 and reportedly sought to renew it earlier this year. Eccles has never applied to become a U.S. Citizen. She is charged with making a false claim of citizenship to vote and is alleged to have voted nine times between 2008 and 2024 in north Georgia.
Pauline Lewis, a 65-year-old citizen of Antigua and Barbuda, entered the U.S. On a student visa in 1979 and remained after it expired without applying for citizenship. She is charged with voting by absentee ballot in the federal elections of November 2020, January 2021, and November 2024.
Gabriel Covarrubias, a 44-year-old Lawrenceville resident, is charged with making a false statement on a passport application. He falsely claimed in a March 2023 application that he was born in Puerto Rico. He is also alleged to have voted in person using a false name in the November 2024 election.
Reporting and presumption of innocence
Authorities encourage the public to report suspected immigration benefit fraud or abuse to USCIS using its official tip form. For more information on USCIS and its programs, the agency directs the public to its website and social media channels on X, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
The charges and allegations in all complaints are merely accusations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
