Attorney General Todd Blanche said a federal grand jury returned indictments alleging nine counts of illegal voting by an alien and nine counts of falsely claiming U.S. citizenship to register to vote.
The Justice Department on Wednesday announced federal indictments against 10 foreign nationals accused of illegally registering and voting in Minnesota elections, while also filing a judicial misconduct complaint against nearly the entire active federal bench in the state.
Attorney General Todd Blanche said a federal grand jury returned indictments alleging nine counts of illegal voting by an alien and nine counts of falsely claiming U.S. citizenship to register to vote. The defendants are from Brazil, Ghana and Liberia, he said.
According to Blanche, the charges involve voting in the 2022 and 2024 general elections, as well as Minnesota’s August 2026 primary election.
Voter fraud erodes the public’s trust in our electoral system,” Blanche said, arguing that only eligible American citizens should be permitted to vote in U.S. elections.
The following individuals are facing charges:
- Bhator Konah Bryant, 61, a Liberian national, on one count of making a false claim of citizenship in order to vote. She is alleged to have falsely claimed United States citizenship when registering to vote on October 18, 2024. The defendant had her initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Elsa M. Bullard on September 29, 2026.
- Edvile Vaidoto Edmunds, 59, a Lithuanian national, on one count of voting by alien. She is alleged to have voted illegally as an alien in Minnesota on November 8, 2022. The defendant had her initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Elsa M. Bullard on September 29, 2026.
- Joshua Frederick Kofi Edzie, 63, a Ghanian national, on two counts of making a false claim of citizenship in order to vote and one count of voting by alien. He is alleged to have voted illegally as an alien in Minnesota on August 11, 2026, and falsely claimed United States citizenship in order to vote on October 23, 2024 and August 11, 2026. The defendant had his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Elsa M. Bullard on September 28, 2026.
- Alan Barbu Kargbo, 48, a Liberian national, on one count of making a false claim of citizenship in order to vote and one count of voting by alien. He is alleged to have voted illegally as an alien in Minnesota and falsely claimed United States citizenship in order to vote on November 5, 2024. The defendant had his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Elsa M. Bullard on September 28, 2026.
- Paul Kras, 78, a German national, on one count of voting by alien. He is alleged to have voted illegally as an alien in Minnesota on November 5, 2024. The defendant had his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Elsa M. Bullard on September 29, 2026.
- Fadil Rasim Ozegovic, 58, a Bosnian national, on one count of making a false claim of citizenship in order to vote and one count of voting by alien. He is alleged to have voted illegally as an alien in Minnesota and falsely claimed United States citizenship in order to vote on November 5, 2024. The defendant had his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Elsa M. Bullard on September 29, 2026.
- Aparecido Donizetti Padovan, 62, a Brazilian national, on one count of making a false claim of citizenship in order to vote and one count of voting by alien. He is alleged to have voted illegally as an alien in Minnesota and falsely claimed United States citizenship in order to vote on November 5, 2024. The defendant had his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Elsa M. Bullard on September 29, 2026.
- Chis Adam Pettiquoi, 43, a Liberian national, on one count of making a false claim of citizenship in order to vote and one count of voting by alien. He is alleged to have voted illegally as an alien in Minnesota and falsely claimed United States citizenship in order to vote on November 5, 2024. The defendant had his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Elsa M. Bullard on September 29, 2026.
- Christian Liam Schenk, 47, a Canadian national, on one count of making a false claim of citizenship in order to vote and one count of voting by alien. He is alleged to have voted illegally as an alien in Minnesota and falsely claimed United States citizenship in order to vote on November 5, 2024. The defendant had his initial appearance in the District of Massachusetts on September 29, 2026.
- Hester Sophia Weihmann, 69, a South African national, on one count of making a false claim of citizenship in order to vote and one count of voting by alien. She is alleged to have voted illegally as an alien in Minnesota and falsely claimed United States citizenship in order to vote on November 5, 2024. The defendant had her initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Elsa M. Bullard on September 29, 2026.
Blanche said the Justice Department has charged more than 90 people with voter-related fraud offenses since President Donald Trump returned to office, including 50 noncitizens in the past five weeks. He said hundreds of investigations remain underway nationwide.
We're focused on providing accountability and restoring trust in our elections. In the weeks and months ahead, there will be more accountability as we continue to uncover fraud across the country," Blanche said. "These cases are complex to investigate, but election law is clear, and our democracy rests on the ability to ensure that those legally allowed to vote in American elections are the only ones that do so. This is not a partisan issue, but one that affects all American voters."
The department’s announcement also included a judicial misconduct complaint filed with the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals against all but one of the active federal district judges in Minnesota.
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Blanche said the complaint stems from a Sept. 17 New York Times article in which several Minnesota federal judges discussed the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement actions in Minneapolis, including Operation Metro Surge and related habeas corpus cases.
The Justice Department alleges the judges violated judicial ethics rules by commenting publicly on pending or recent cases and displaying bias against the Department of Homeland Security and immigration authorities. Blanche said the department is asking the 8th Circuit to investigate and, in the meantime, requesting that the judges recuse themselves from all civil and criminal cases involving DHS.
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said the department has made 100 administrative arrests, 53 criminal arrests, secured 37 indictments and obtained 10 convictions in voter-fraud-related cases.
"Every voter that votes should know that their vote counts. It shouldn’t be canceled by an illegal or someone illegally voting in those elections. And that’s exactly what happens. The only people that should be choosing our leaders are American citizens who are legally able to vote," Mullin said.
He said DHS is investigating more than 1,600 cases and reviewing another 300,000 potential leads as officials obtain voter records from 47 states and several territories.
If you voted in our elections and you weren’t legally able to vote, we’re going to find you,” Mullin said.
U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen of Minnesota said the newly announced indictments are “just the tip of the iceberg,” accusing the state of fostering a culture that tolerates fraud.
“If you’re not a citizen, don’t try to vote,” Rosen said. “We will prosecute you.”
DHS has been escalating efforts to prosecute any cases of alleged voter fraud, including the recent arrests of 16 non-U.S. citizens voting in previous elections and a concerning discovery about mail-in ballots in Utah last week.
Charges were filed and an arrest was made against a U.S. Postal Service worker in Utah over allegations of election fraud. THE DOJ says the worker admitted to throwing away around 300 election ballots and other mail.
