The voter fraud cases are being investigated as part of a new initiative in the Document and Benefit Fraud Task Force, the DOJ said. | Sue Ogrocki/AP Photo 19 foreign nationals charged for voting in 2016 elections

Nineteen foreign-born individuals have been charged with illegally voting in the 2016 election, the Justice Department announced on Friday, adding that the cases are part of an ongoing voter fraud investigation.

Robert J. Higdon, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, announced the indictments, and stated that the cases are being investigated as part of a new initiative in the Document and Benefit Fraud Task Force.


The push comes as President Donald Trump has pledged to root out voter fraud, after claiming without evidence that millions voted illegally in the 2016 election.

Trump lost the popular vote to Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton by nearly 3 million. The president even went so far as to established a Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity, which is now disbanded.

According to DOJ, nine individuals were charged with a false claim of United States citizenship in order to register to vote and cast a ballot.

Jose Cruz Solano-Rodriguez of Mexico, Guadalupe Espinosa-Pena of Mexico, Sarah Emilia Silverio-Polanco of the Dominican Republic, Elizabeth Nene Amachaghi of Nigeria, Maria Rufina Castillo-Boswell of the Philippines, Dora Maybe Damatta-Rodriguez of Panama, Elvis David Fullerton of Grenada, Olive Agatha Martin of Guyana and Kaoru Sauls of Japan were all charged with the crime and can face a maximum penalty of six years in prison, a $350,000 fine and a term of supervised release following any term of imprisonment.

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Eight separate individuals were charged with “voting by an alien” were filed against the following foreign nationals: Jose Jaime Ramiro-Torres of El Salvador, Juan Francisco Landeros-Mireles of Mexico, Alessandro Cannizzaro of Italy, Dieudonne Soifils of Haiti, Hyo Suk George of Korea, Merius Jean of Haiti, Rosemarie Angelika Harris of Germany and Daniel Tadeusz Romanowski of Poland could face a maximum of 12 months in prison, a $100,000 fine and a term of supervised release following any imprisonment.

In addition, Diana Patricia Franco-Rodriguez of Mexico was charged with fraud and misuse of visas, permits and other documents, in addition to voting by a nonresident. She could face a maximum of 26 years in prison, a $350,000 fine and a term of supervised release.

Only one person so far has pleaded guilty in the cases.

Earlier this month, Ramon Estaban Paez-Jerez pleaded guilty to “a two-count Criminal Information charging him with passport fraud and voting by an alien.”

Paez-Jerez was ordered to be deported in 1988, but failed to meet for his scheduled removal. He then assumed a fraudulent identity and applied for amnesty, which he was granted in 1989, the DOJ said. He became a naturalized citizen in 1999, still using his fake identity.

Paez-Jerez, using his fake identity, then registered to vote in North Carolina in July 2007.

Two years later, in September 2009, he made a false statement while applying for a passport when he used his fraudulent identity and did not disclose his real name, the DOJ added. He went on to vote in the 2016 election in Wake County.

In addition to a maximum of 11 years in prison, Paez-Jerez could receive a $350,000 fine and supervision following any stint in prison. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 11 in New Bern, North Carolina.

In addition, a 20th individual is being charged with aiding and abetting in one of the crimes.

Denslo Allen Paige was charged by a federal grand jury in Wilmington, North Carolina, for aiding and abetting Espinosa-Pena in falsely claiming to be a U.S. citizen in order to register to vote.

For the crime, Paige could face five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, in addition to possible supervision following any prison time.