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 — a federal crime.
• The same defendants later applied for citizenship and lied again, claiming they had never voted in a U.S. election.
• Charges include voting by a noncitizen and unlawfully obtaining citizenship documents — both federal offenses.

Five Noncitizens Charged With Illegal Voting in New Jersey

The U.S. Department of Justice announced charges against five noncitizens living in New Jersey for illegally voting in federal elections. The four named in the main announcement are 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 of Slovakia, was charged separately. All five face federal criminal complaints filed by U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer in Newark.

Each defendant voted in at least one federal election between 2020 and 2024 — covering two presidential elections and one midterm. Prosecutors say Neewilly voted in 2020 and 2024. Beadle Exum and Vig voted in 2020. Choresh voted in 2022. All of them checked a box on their voter registration forms falsely swearing they were U.S. citizens. That act alone is a federal crime under U.S. law.

The Double Lie: Voting, Then Lying About It

The case gets worse. After casting illegal ballots, each defendant applied for U.S. citizenship using a federal form called an N-400. That form asks, under penalty of perjury, whether the applicant has ever voted in a U.S. election. All five said no. That was a second lie — and a second federal crime. Prosecutors charged them with both voting as a noncitizen and unlawfully trying to obtain citizenship.

The specific charges are violations of federal law — one that bans noncitizens from voting in federal elections, and another that makes it a crime to obtain citizenship through false statements. Both carry serious penalties. The Department of Justice notes that the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court, as the charges are based on criminal complaints, not yet trial verdicts.

A Bigger Problem in New Jersey

These five cases are not happening in a vacuum. The New Jersey Republican Party and the Republican National Committee have raised alarms that hundreds of noncitizens appeared on voter rolls across every county in the state. They argue there is no reliable system to catch and remove them. While those broader claims have not been fully verified, the five active federal prosecutions show the problem is real — not a conspiracy theory.

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

Some groups, like the Fair Elections Center, call noncitizen voting a “non-issue” and claim it almost never happens. That argument is harder to make when federal prosecutors are filing charges. Every illegal vote cancels out a legal one cast by a real American citizen. That is not a small thing. Election integrity is the foundation of self-government, and knowingly cheating the system — twice — is a direct attack on it. These prosecutions send a clear message that the law will be enforced.

Sources:

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