(The Center Square) – Six people have been indicted out of approximately 140 people reported by Secretary of State Frank LaRose to Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost for allegedly voting illegally.
Yost announced Tuesday that seven cases were presented to a grand jury last week, resulting in six indictments for illegal voting. A grand jury declined to indict a seventh person.
Five of the indictments involved legal permanent residents of the United States who are not citizens. The sixth case involved noncitizens accused of voting in 2014, 2016, and 2018, while only two charges related to the 2020 election.
“The right to vote is sacred,” Yost said. “If you are not a U.S. citizen, it is illegal to vote. You will be held accountable whether you thought you were allowed to vote or not.”
The charges include:
- Ramesh Patel, 68, of North Royalton, was charged in Cuyahoga County with one count of illegal voting. Patel was a U.S. citizen when he was accused of voting in 2014, 2016 and 2018.
- Lorinda Miller, 78, of Hudson, was charged in Summit County with two counts of illegal voting. Although Mr. Miller is a legal permanent resident, he was not a U.S. citizen when he was accused of voting in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019.
- Nicholas Fontaine, 32, of Kent, was charged in Portage County with illegal voting. Although Fontaine is a legal permanent resident, he was not a U.S. citizen when he was accused of voting in 2016 and 2018.
- Ahmed Aden, 35, of Columbus, was charged in Franklin County with one count of illegal voting. Although Aden is a legal permanent resident, he was not a U.S. citizen when he was charged with voting in 2008 and 2020.
- Van Thuy Cooper, 53, of Hilliard, was charged in Franklin County with one count of illegal voting. Although Cooper is a legal permanent resident, he was not a U.S. citizen when he was accused of voting in 2016 and 2020.
- Mario DeAraujo, 62, of Columbus, was charged in Franklin County with one count of illegal voting. De Araujo is a legal resident but was not a U.S. citizen when he was accused of voting in 2016 and 2018.
Illegal voting is a fourth-degree felony. The penalty is up to 18 months in prison and a $5,000 fine.
Each case had previously been referred to the county prosecutor.
The case, which was not prosecuted, involved an Oberlin College student who allegedly voted in Ohio and Washington state in 2018.
“This kind of fraud is rare and this is a minority case,” Yost said. “We should all go into the next election with confidence knowing the laws are in place and will continue to be enforced.”
Yost said officers are continuing to investigate voter fraud and have made another referral to the county prosecutor.
