SACRAMENTO, CALIF. — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (USAO - California, Eastern), published as received.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Federal prosecutors filed criminal complaints charging six aliens with illegally voting in the 2024 U.S. presidential election, U.S. Attorney Grant announced.

“These complaints reflect the seriousness with which the United States government strives to protect the privileges of American citizenship,” said U.S. Attorney Grant. “The right to vote is one of the most fundamental of those privileges, and its theft by noncitizens will be prosecuted.”

Case details are as follows:

  • Lorie Jane Alcala, 44, a Philippine national residing in Hanford, is charged with illegally voting in the U.S. presidential election on Nov. 5, 2024. Alcala made her initial appearance in federal court on Oct. 30, 2026.
  • Edith San Pedro Carter, 59, a Philippine national residing in Fresno, is charged with illegally voting in the U.S. presidential election on Nov. 5, 2024. Carter made her initial appearance in federal court on Oct. 30, 2026.
  • Maria Joao Bettencourt, 49, a Portuguese national residing in Visalia, is charged with illegally voting in the U.S. presidential election on Nov. 5, 2024. Bettencourt will make her initial appearance in federal court on Nov. 2, 2026, in Fresno at 2:00 pm.
  • Rosa Bento Silva Anderson, 26, a Portuguese national residing in Turlock, is charged with illegally voting in the U.S. presidential election on Nov. 5, 2024. Anderson will make her initial appearance in federal court on Nov. 2, 2026, in Fresno at 2:00 pm.
  • Janelyn Stewart, 38, a Philippine national residing in Vallejo, is charged with illegally voting in the U.S. presidential election on Nov. 5, 2024.
  • Meryll Joy Quirong Costi, 36, a Philippine national residing in Sacramento, is charged with illegally voting in the Nov. 5, 2024, presidential election and the Nov. 8, 2022, midterm election. Costi is scheduled to make her initial appearance in federal court on Nov. 2, 2026, in Sacramento at 2 pm.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joshua Banister and Kevin Khasigian are prosecuting the case.

If convicted, the defendants face a maximum penalty of one year in prison and a fine of up to $100,000. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.