Two Nigerian nationals living in the United States have been charged with allegedly voting in federal elections despite not being American citizens.
The men, identified as 61-year-old Mohammed Omar Hassan and 74-year-old Michael Agah, are among 63 foreign nationals charged by the US Department of Justice over alleged election-related offences, including illegal voting and making false claims of American citizenship.
Hassan, a lawful permanent resident, was charged in the Southern District of Texas with voting as a non-US citizen. Prosecutors allege that he voted in the 2022 and 2024 elections.
Agah, who is also a lawful permanent resident, was charged in the Western District of North Carolina with voting as a non-citizen and falsely claiming to be an American citizen on an election form. He allegedly voted in the November 5, 2024 federal election.
US Attorney General Todd Blanche described the latest announcement as the largest surge in voter-fraud arrests since President Donald Trump returned to office.
The Justice Department said it had charged 195 non-citizens across 25 states with election-related offences in the preceding nine weeks, bringing the total number of people charged since the administration began to 239.
The latest cases come less than two months after three other Nigerians were charged over similar alleged offences.
All the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.
