Federal prosecutors announced charges Thursday against a citizen of the Philippines they said illegally registered and voted in Pennsylvania in the 2020 presidential election.
Emily Custodio, 51, used Pennsylvania’s online voter registration system to sign up in July 2020, answering “Yes” when asked if she was a U.S. citizen and eligible to vote. She is, in fact, not a U.S. citizen, prosecutors said.
Pennsylvania added her to its voter rolls based on her self-attestation.
That November she voted in person, producing a photo ID and again asserting with her signature that she was a U.S. citizen.
She is charged with voter fraud and illegal voting by an alien.
“Election fraud of any sort undermines public trust in our system, and illegal voting by non-citizens dilutes the voice of lawful American voters,” said David Metcalf, the U.S. attorney in Philadelphia.
She entered a “not guilty” plea Wednesday and was given pretrial release.
Under federal law, only citizens are allowed to vote in elections for national office.
The case is the latest in a series of noncitizen voting cases brought, challenging voting rights groups’ claims that the practice doesn’t occur.
This year alone, federal authorities have identified cases in North Carolina, Michigan, Massachusetts, New York and Florida, where several cases have been brought.
According to the court files in the cases, a majority are legal immigrants who registered, while some are illegal immigrants living here under stolen identities.
