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LOS ANGELES – A 63-year-old Filipino lawful permanent resident in Ohio is among 16 people facing federal charges involving illegal voting, fraudulent voter registration and other election-related offenses, the US Department of Justice has announced.
Eliza M. Moss, a green card holder living in Ohio, was charged with unlawfully voting in a federal election despite not being a US citizen.
According to the Justice Department, Moss registered to vote in September 2004 and again in February 2023. Voting records from Ohio and Ashtabula County indicate that she also participated in several primary and general elections.
Federal prosecutors said Moss signed voter registration forms containing a declaration that she was a US citizen.
Moss told investigators that the person who helped her complete her registration had informed her that she could vote even though she was not a US citizen, according to the criminal complaint.
The charge carries a maximum penalty of one year in federal prison if she is convicted.
Nationwide election crime charges
The Justice Department’s announcement comes three weeks before the Nov. 3 midterm elections, amid increased federal enforcement of laws prohibiting noncitizens from voting.
The 16 defendants face various allegations across 11 federal judicial districts, including illegally voting in federal elections, falsely claiming US citizenship, voting more than once in the same election and attempting to cast a ballot on behalf of a deceased person.
In Ohio, two other lawful permanent residents were also charged.
Arshed Zuberi, 69, a Pakistani national, allegedly registered to vote in 2015 and 2016 and cast ballots in at least six elections, according to federal prosecutors.
Cary Ann Patterson, 59, a British national, was accused of voting in at least 10 elections despite not being a US citizen.
In Missouri, Cuban national Andres Garcia, 64, was charged with illegally voting in the November 2022 and November 2024 federal elections. Prosecutors alleged that he had voted in at least 15 elections over approximately two decades.
Other cases announced by the Justice Department involved defendants in Pennsylvania, Alabama, New Mexico, Idaho, New Jersey, Hawaii and Kentucky.
In June, federal prosecutors charged Filipino green card holder Remedios Alasaas, 66, of Kahului, Maui, with unlawfully voting in two federal elections.
Another Filipino national, Bernadette Acaso, pleaded guilty to illegally voting as a noncitizen in Hawaii’s 2024 general election. Acaso faces a maximum sentence of one year in prison, supervised release and a fine of up to $100,000.
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