WASHINGTON, D.C. — Four Filipinos were among 48 foreign citizens charged by the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) with election-related offenses, including illegal voting, fraudulent voter registration, and falsely claiming American citizenship.
The DOJ announced the charges on Oct. 26, involving foreign nationals in Pennsylvania, California, Florida, New York, and Nevada.
All four Filipinos are US permanent residents or green card holders. They are accused of participating in federal elections despite not being US citizens.
The Filipinos were identified as Giezell Viduya Adawag, 41, of California; José Probitsado Amaro, 51, also of California; Pamele Arbués Line, 56, of California; and Jullie Ann Sumalinog Moore, 44, of Nevada.
According to the DOJ, Adawag registered to vote on the same day as the November 2024 general election, falsely certified that she was a US citizen, and cast her ballot that day.
She was charged in the Eastern District of California with voting by an alien in a federal election, a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in federal prison.
Amaro, meanwhile, allegedly registered to vote by falsely claiming US citizenship before casting a ballot in the November 2024 general election.
The DOJ said Amaro subsequently made false statements during his naturalization interview, denying that he had ever claimed to be an American citizen and misrepresenting his voting history.
He faces charges in the Southern District of California involving false claims of citizenship to vote, unlawful attempted procurement of naturalization, and false statements under oath in a matter relating to naturalization or citizenship.
Line, also charged in the Southern District of California, allegedly voted in the November 2024 general election and later made false statements during her naturalization interview.
Federal prosecutors accused her of denying previous claims of US citizenship and misrepresenting her voting history.
In Nevada, Moore was charged with voting by an alien after allegedly participating in a federal election involving candidates for president, vice president, the US Senate, and the House of Representatives.
The DOJ did not specify the election date in its announcement concerning Moore.
The four Filipinos were among 48 foreign nationals facing election-related charges across five states. The other 44 defendants came from various countries, including Mexico, Cuba, Canada, Guatemala, India, Kenya, Russia, and several European, Asian, Pacific, Caribbean and Latin American nations.
Under US federal law, lawful permanent residency does not grant an individual the right to vote in federal elections. That privilege is generally reserved for American citizens.
The DOJ emphasized that all defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt.
The announcement did not indicate that any of the four Filipino defendants had been convicted or sentenced.
