Ohio has announced charges against six people accused of illegally voting as noncitizens in several elections, Attorney General Dave Yost (R) announced Tuesday.
Ramesh Patel, Lorinda Miller, Nicholas Fontaine, Ahmed Aden, Van Tuy Cooper and Maria DeAraujo could all face up to 18 months in prison if: was convicted of a crimeaccording to the Daily Wire.
Yost said the defendants appeared to be legally resident in the United States, but were not U.S. citizens when they voted in elections spanning 2008 to 2020. said on the list Indictment:
Ramesh Patel, 68, of North Royalton, was charged in Cuyahoga County with one count of illegal voting. Patel was not a U.S. citizen when he allegedly voted in 2014, 2016 and 2018. He is scheduled to be arraigned on November 1 at 8:30 a.m.
Lorinda Miller, 78, of Hudson, was charged in Summit County with two counts of illegal voting. Miller is a legal permanent resident but did not have U.S. citizenship when she allegedly voted in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019.
Nicholas Fontaine, 32, of Kent, was charged in Portage County with illegal voting. Fontaine is a legal permanent resident but was not a U.S. citizen when he allegedly voted in 2016 and 2018. He is scheduled to be arraigned on Dec. 2 at 1 p.m.
Ahmed Aden, 35, of Columbus, was charged in Franklin County with one count of illegal voting. Aden is a legal permanent resident but was not a U.S. citizen when he allegedly voted in 2008 and 2020.
Van Thuy Cooper, 53, of Hilliard, was charged in Franklin County with one count of illegal voting. Cooper is a legal permanent resident but was not a U.S. citizen when he allegedly voted in 2016 and 2020.
Maria 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 allegedly voted in 2016 and 2018.
Illegal voting is a fourth-degree felony. It is unclear whether the defendants voted because they believed they were allowed to do so, but the attorney general said their actions were still criminal.
“The right to vote is sacred,” Yost said. “If you are not a U.S. citizen, it is illegal to vote, whether you thought you were allowed to vote or not. You will be held accountable.”
He continued to ensure security for the upcoming November 5 election.
“This kind of fraud is rare and this is a minority case,” Yost added. “We should all go into the next election with confidence knowing the laws are in place and will continue to be enforced.”
Ohio removed nearly 500 registered noncitizens from its voter rolls in early August, Secretary of State Frank LaRose said. said.
“I want to give these people the benefit of the doubt and say that most of them did not intend to break any laws,” LaRose said in a statement at the time. “We want to ensure that incorrect registration does not result in an illegal vote. We also want to ensure that legally registered citizens can seamlessly participate in the process, especially if their citizenship status has recently changed.” I am thinking of doing so.”
