By John Oyewale
Four green card holders living in New Jersey were separately charged with illegally voting in federal elections and falsely asserting never to have done so while applying for U.S. citizenship, federal authorities said Friday.
David Neewilly, 73; Jacenth Beadle Exum, 70; Idan Choresh, 43; and Abhinandan Vig, 33, separately registered to vote in New Jersey under the allegedly false pretext of being U.S. citizens, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey said.
Neewilly was accused of voting in the 2020 and 2024 general elections, each of which included the presidential election. Beadle Exum and Vig allegedly voted in the 2020 general election, while Choresh was accused of voting in the 2022 general election, which included the House of Representatives’ election.
Each of the accused individually went on to swear under penalty of perjury, as part of their applications for naturalization, that they neither registered nor voted in any federal elections, the U.S. Attorney’s office alleged.
Neewilly reportedly made his initial appearance in federal court on April 22; Choresh, Vig, and Beadle Exum on May 1. (RELATED: Mexican Man Elected Mayor Of US Town Accused Of Unlawfully Voting Multiple Times)
Federal law prohibits non-citizens from voting in federal and congressional elections, with a few exceptions. Violators risk a fine, imprisonment for at most one year, or both, if found guilty. Washington, D.C. and some municipalities in California, Vermont and Maryland permit non-citizens to vote in certain local elections, according to the Bipartisan Policy Center.
Federal law also prohibits any attempt to unlawfully obtain or assist with obtaining U.S. citizenship, with violators risking a fine or at least a decade in prison or both, if found guilty.
Federal law criminalizes swearing falsely to obtain naturalization.
Several studies and investigative reviews reportedly have found non-citizen voting to be rare. One study indicates that, though rare, non-citizen voting has the potential to influence election outcomes.
The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE America) Act, which would require proof of American citizenship to register to vote, and photo identification to vote, in federal elections, was introduced in the lower house of Congress Jan. 30. Democrats have accused Republicans of plotting voter suppression under the guise of the SAVE America act. Filibustering in the Senate poses a challenge to the bill, El País reported.
President Donald Trump urged Congress March 12 to pass the act immediately, to “safeguard America’s elections from illegal voting.” Trump cited several sources including an Aug. 2025 Pew Research Center poll showing that 83% of Americans polled support government-issued photo identification as a voting requirement.
