A growing number of Canadians are finding themselves caught up in the Trump administration’s escalating crackdown on alleged illegal voting in American elections. Federal prosecutors have announced several cases involving Canadian nationals in Wisconsin, Tennessee, California and Florida, with allegations ranging from unlawfully casting ballots to falsely claiming U.S. citizenship and misrepresenting information on immigration documents.
The latest developments come as Washington intensifies election enforcement ahead of the November 3, 2026, midterm elections. Some defendants are lawful permanent residents who have lived in the United States for years, while another faces allegations involving decades of identity misuse. The cases were announced separately, and recent Justice Department disclosures identify more than five Canadian defendants overall. Although federal officials describe the prosecutions as necessary to protect election integrity, the broader enforcement campaign is also generating legal challenges and questions about the prevalence of noncitizen voting. All defendants remain presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
Tennessee Case Alleges Decades of Voting Under a Stolen American Identity
One of the most serious recent cases involves Gregory Allan Porter, a 67-year-old Canadian citizen living in Sevierville, Tennessee. On October 30, 2026, federal prosecutors announced that Porter had appeared in court and pleaded not guilty to an 11-count indictment involving alleged identity theft, passport fraud, false citizenship claims and illegal voting. Investigators allege that Porter entered the United States unlawfully around 1984 and subsequently assumed the identity of an American citizen named Tony Wayne Ortiz. According to prosecutors, he used that identity to obtain government documents, including a birth certificate, Social Security number, Tennessee driver’s licences and U.S. passports. Authorities also allege that he participated in numerous federal, state and local elections while using the assumed identity. Three counts in the indictment specifically concern voting by a noncitizen.
The accusations extend considerably beyond the voting-related allegations seen in several other Canadian cases. Prosecutors contend that the alleged identity deception continued for decades, potentially affecting immigration records, identification documents and electoral registration. Porter was detained following his October 30 court appearance, with a trial scheduled for January 5, 2027. Depending on the offences involved, convictions could carry prison terms of up to 10 years, while the aggravated identity theft charge carries a mandatory additional two-year sentence if proven. The case illustrates how investigations into voting eligibility can develop into much broader federal prosecutions. However, the indictment remains a collection of allegations rather than established findings, and Porter has formally denied the charges by entering a not-guilty plea.
Two Canadians in Wisconsin Face Separate Illegal Voting Charges
Federal prosecutors in Wisconsin announced another significant development on October 29, identifying two Canadian citizens accused of participating in American elections despite allegedly knowing they lacked U.S. citizenship. Monique Gignac-Yochum, 60, formerly of Hayward, Wisconsin, faces allegations that she unlawfully voted in the November 2022 and November 2024 elections. Prosecutors filed a two-count criminal information against her on October 22, which was subsequently unsealed following her initial court appearance. The second defendant, Rodger Dedrick, 66, of Stoughton, Wisconsin, is accused of voting in the November 5, 2024, election. Federal authorities also allege that Dedrick falsely claimed American citizenship when registering to vote on August 13, 2024. His two-count grand jury indictment was unsealed on October 29.
Although both defendants face accusations involving voting eligibility, their potential legal consequences differ. Prosecutors say Gignac-Yochum faces up to one year in prison if convicted, while Dedrick faces a maximum of five years for the alleged false citizenship claim and another year for the illegal voting offence. That distinction highlights an important feature of American election law: falsely representing citizenship during registration can create criminal exposure separate from actually casting a ballot. Homeland Security Investigations examined both cases, and both defendants were released pending additional proceedings. For Americans living in communities with substantial cross-border connections, the allegations also illustrate why residence and citizenship must be treated as separate legal categories. Neither a criminal information nor a grand jury indictment establishes guilt, and prosecutors must still prove the allegations through the judicial process.
California Canadian Faces Indictment Over Naturalization Documents
In California, another Canadian national faces allegations involving voter registration and statements made during the citizenship application process. On October 28, federal prosecutors announced that a grand jury had indicted Rouzbeh Seyamaknejad, 63, of Rancho Palos Verdes, alongside two other foreign nationals in separate cases. According to the indictment announcement, Seyamaknejad allegedly registered to vote in California in December 2018 while falsely declaring that he was an American citizen. Prosecutors further allege that when he applied for naturalization in January 2024, he denied under oath ever claiming U.S. citizenship or registering to vote in an American election. The October 28 indictment specifically charges him with making a false statement under oath on a naturalization application, an offence carrying a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison.
An important distinction emerges when comparing the government’s announcements. A broader Justice Department summary released October 26 also alleged that Seyamaknejad voted in the November 2024 election, while the more specific October 28 indictment announcement focused on the allegedly false naturalization statements rather than announcing a separate illegal-voting count. The difference matters because an accusation concerning voter registration or citizenship paperwork is not identical to a criminal charge for casting a ballot. His case forms part of a wider California enforcement operation in which authorities announced charges involving 28 lawful permanent residents earlier in October. For immigrants seeking citizenship, the allegations highlight how statements made years apart can become central to criminal investigations. Seyamaknejad remains presumed innocent, and the prosecution must establish that the statements were knowingly false before any conviction can occur.
Florida Charges Highlight the Difference Between Permanent Residency and Citizenship
Florida has also become an important location in the federal government’s election enforcement campaign. On October 22, prosecutors announced charges against six foreign nationals, including two Canadians, arising from alleged illegal participation in the 2022 and 2024 federal elections. Lise Marie Johnson, 69, a Canadian lawful permanent resident, was indicted on allegations of falsely claiming American citizenship to vote and unlawfully casting a ballot. Prosecutors say Johnson registered to vote in 2021 and subsequently participated in the 2022 federal general election. Another Canadian, Diane Wendy Curley, 55, was charged through a criminal information with unlawful voting. Federal authorities allege that Curley cast ballots in both the 2022 and 2024 general elections. The two women face different charges despite appearing in the same group of prosecutions.
Johnson could receive up to five years in federal prison on the false citizenship allegation and up to one year for unlawful voting if convicted. Curley’s reported voting charge carries a maximum one-year sentence. Both were identified as lawful permanent residents, a status that allows foreign nationals to reside legally in the United States but does not provide federal voting rights. Under federal law, participation in elections involving presidential or congressional candidates is generally restricted to American citizens, with narrowly defined exceptions. The Florida cases were investigated through cooperation among Homeland Security Investigations, state election-crime authorities and local election officials. Their inclusion in a subsequent October 26 Justice Department roundup also illustrates why reporting on the crackdown requires care: cases appearing in multiple federal announcements should not be counted as entirely new prosecutions each time they are publicized.
Trump’s Expanding Election Crackdown Faces Questions About Evidence and Enforcement
The Canadian cases are unfolding against a much larger federal campaign targeting suspected noncitizen voting. On October 19, the Justice Department announced charges involving 28 lawful permanent residents in California under an initiative called Operation Protect the Vote. A separate October 26 announcement summarized 48 defendants across several states, although it repeated cases previously disclosed by regional prosecutors. The administration has also sought broader intervention in election administration. In California, federal officials identified approximately 20,000 registered voters they suspected might be noncitizens and asked that their ballots be separated until eligibility could be established. California challenged the reliability of the list. On October 30, a federal appeals court rejected the Justice Department’s emergency request, citing concerns about the evidence, potential disruption to election administration and the risk of disenfranchising eligible voters. A dissenting judge argued that the government should have been permitted to safeguard potentially unlawful ballots.
Independent research also provides essential context for assessing the prosecutions. A Brennan Center for Justice investigation of the 2016 election examined 42 jurisdictions accounting for approximately 23.5 million votes and identified only about 30 suspected instances of noncitizen voting referred for investigation or prosecution. That represented roughly 0.0001% of ballots in the jurisdictions studied, although the research was not a nationwide count and does not establish the rate for 2026. Individual prosecutions can demonstrate alleged violations without proving a widespread election-fraud operation. The legal challenge for authorities is therefore twofold: investigating credible evidence of wrongdoing while protecting the rights of eligible voters and ensuring defendants receive due process. For Canadians living south of the border, the proceedings reinforce the distinction between permanent residency and citizenship. For the United States, they underscore how election enforcement has become a central legal and political conflict, even as the outcomes of individual prosecutions remain unresolved.
