Five noncitizens in New Jersey have been charged with illegally voting in U.S. federal elections — and then lying about it on their citizenship applications.

Story Snapshot

• Federal prosecutors charged five noncitizens in New Jersey with illegally voting in federal elections between 2020 and 2024.
• Each defendant falsely checked a box on their voter registration form swearing they were U.S. citizens.
• The same defendants later applied for citizenship and lied again — claiming they had never voted in a federal election.
• Charges include two federal crimes: illegal voting by a noncitizen and unlawfully trying to obtain citizenship.

Five Charged in New Jersey for Illegal Voting

The U.S. Department of Justice announced charges in July 2026 against five noncitizens living in New Jersey. Four were named in one press release: David Neewilly, 73, of Atlantic County; Jacenth Beadle Exum, 70, of Bergen County; Idan Choresh of Monmouth County; and Abhinandan Vig. A fifth defendant, Marian Charitun, a citizen of Slovakia, was charged separately. All five face federal criminal complaints for voting illegally in U.S. elections.

According to prosecutors, each defendant voted in at least one federal election between 2020 and 2024. That window covers two presidential elections and one midterm. Neewilly voted in 2020 and 2024. Beadle Exum and Vig voted in 2020. Choresh voted in 2022. To cast those ballots, each one had to sign a voter registration form swearing they were U.S. citizens — a sworn statement prosecutors say was false.

Double Deception: Lies on Citizenship Applications Too

The alleged fraud did not stop at the ballot box. Each defendant later filed a naturalization application — known as an N-400 form — to become a U.S. citizen. Those forms ask, under penalty of perjury, whether the applicant has ever voted in a federal election. Prosecutors say all five answered no. That answer, they allege, was another lie. Knowingly making false statements on a naturalization application may constitute a separate federal offense.

Federal law prohibits on both counts. Under federal law, it is a crime for a noncitizen to vote in a federal election. It is also a crime to lie on a citizenship application. Prosecutors charged the defendants under two specific statutes — one covering illegal voting by a noncitizen and one covering fraud in obtaining citizenship. Each charge carries the possibility of prison time and fines.

The Bigger Picture on Noncitizen Voting

Some groups call noncitizen voting a “non-issue” and say it almost never happens. The Fair Elections Center, for example, calls the concern an “empirically false premise.” Groups like the Brennan Center point to audits showing very few confirmed cases nationwide. Those numbers are worth knowing. But they do not change what federal prosecutors say happened here. Five specific individuals have been charged with conduct that some organizations describe as extremely rare.

New Jersey Resident Charged With Illegally Voting In Federal Election & Making False Statements On Citizenship Application https://t.co/RSd2XaFjaq via @Englebrooknews #NewJersey #CrimeNews #MiddlesexCountyNJ #NonCitizen #Federal #Charges #VotingFraud #False #Statements @HRG_Media… pic.twitter.com/vJ4bEgooJQ

— Art Fletcher (@ArtFletcher9) July 3, 2026

The New Jersey Republican Party and the Republican National Committee have gone further, claiming hundreds of noncitizens appeared on voter rolls across every county in the state. Those broader claims remain unverified. What is documented are these five criminal complaints, filed by federal prosecutors in Newark. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court. But the charges themselves show that election laws do get broken — and that federal law enforcement is now watching.

Sources:

nypost.com, whyy.org, justice.gov, fox17.com, facebook.com