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(CNSNews.com) – The Heritage Foundation released a database on Thursday revealing 1,071 proven instances of voter fraud, at least 50 of which involved criminally convicted non-citizens and illegal aliens, in 47 states across the United States.

The study sheds new light on the controversial debate over whether voter fraud occurs and the degree to which it may have impacted past elections.

The database features 938 criminal convictions for charges including false registrations, buying votes and ineligible voting. Some instances discovered by a court of law or a government body have required the overturning of an election results or the calling of a re-election.

The database includes at least 50 cases of noncitizens or illegal aliens, most of whom falsely claimed U.S. citizenship status or registered to vote under a different name, thereby influencing the results of U.S. elections and charged in the “ineligible voting” category.

Heritage noted that the list may not be exhaustive, butt indicates a sampling of the different ways fraud had been committed.

Below are some examples of foreign aliens who faced criminal charges for illegal voting activities:

--Ricardo Lopez-Munguia (California, 2012), a Mexican who was deported decades ago for drug trafficking, pleaded guilty to living illegally in Escondido under a false identity and fraudulently voting in the 2008 presidential election.

--Rafael Antonio Velasquez (Florida, 2003), a former candidate for the Florida House, was convicted in 2003 for having voted twice before he became a U.S. citizen.

--Maria Azada (Illinois, 2012), an illegal alien from the Philippines living in Illinois, was convicted on 11 charges including perjury and mutilation of election material in relation to illegal voting. Despite being ineligible, Azada voted nine times in various elections and claimed to be a U.S. citizen on two voter registration forms. She was sentenced to 120 days’ imprisonment, two years’ conditional discharge, and 100 hours of community service.

--Mahmoud Vakili (Illinois, 2012), an Iranian citizen living in Waukegan, Ill., pleaded guilty to disregarding the election code after he registered and voted five times, despite the fact he is not a U.S. citizen and therefore ineligible. He was sentenced to 12 months of supervision and 100 hours of community service, and was required to pay court costs.

--Parvin Vakili (Illinois, 2012), an Iranian citizen living in Waukegan, Ill., pleaded guilty to disregarding the election code after she registered to vote and voted seven times despite not being a U.S. citizen. She was sentenced to 12 months’ supervision and 100 hours of community service, and was ordered to pay court costs.

--Fredericus Slicher (Maryland, 2014), a registered sex offender and illegal alien, pleaded guilty to ineligible voting in the 2012 election as well as several other criminal charges. He had been illegally voting in federal and state elections since 1976. He was sentenced to three months’ imprisonment, one year of supervised release, and ordered to pay $49,928 in restitution for illegally-collected Social Security and Medicare benefits.

--Joshua Workman (North Carolina, 2003), a Canadian citizen who was one of the youngest delegates to the 2000 Republican National Convention, was charged by the Department of Justice with casting ineligible votes during the 2000 and 2002 primary and general elections in Avery County. He made false statements claiming U.S. citizenship in order to vote. As part of a plea agreement, Workman pleaded guilty to a federal misdemeanor charge of providing false information to election officials and subsequently returned to Canada.

--Rosa Maria Ortega (Texas, 2017), a non-citizen, was found guilty on two counts of voting in the November 2012 general election and the 2014 Republican primary runoff. Ortega claimed she thought she was a citizen and blamed her lack of education for the mix-up, but prosecutors pointed out that Ortega had previously indicated on a driver’s license application that she was a non-citizen. A judge sentenced her to eight years’ imprisonment, after which she faces the possibility of deportation.

Last May, President Trump signed an executive order launching an investigation into voter fraud, having stated previously that millions of people had illegally voted in the 2016 presidential election, costing him the popular vote.

On Monday, a federal judge ruled to allow Trump’s commission on voter fraud to collect personal and public data of the nation’s 200 million registered voters.