On July 9, 2026, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published a statement announcing that Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) took an alien into their custody who illegally registered and cast a ballot in an election in the state of New Jersey. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), along with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, arrested Marian Charitun, a citizen of Slovakia, residing in the country as a green card holder.
Charitun, according to information released by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey, registered to vote in the Garden State, falsely declaring that he was a citizen of the United States. He then cast a ballot in the 2022 general election, which included a race for the U.S. House of Representatives.
After voting in the election, Charitun then attempted to apply for U.S. citizenship, filing paperwork with USCIS, lying to them by stating that he never registered to vote or cast a ballot in any federal, state, or local elections. The suspect is now looking at charges of illegally voting in a federal election and making false statements while applying for U.S. citizenship.
“This alien from Slovakia illegally voted in American elections, and then lied about it when he tried to apply for citizenship,” Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis went on to say. “He now faces federal charges of illegally voting in a federal election and making false statements. Our message to aliens who vote in American elections is clear: we will find you, arrest you, and you will face the consequences, including criminal charges and deportation. Only Americans should be electing American leaders.”
According to a press release from Homeland Security, the case was brought under the United States Attorney’s Office’s Election Integrity Task Force, which is comprised of federal law enforcement partners tasked with the mission of preserving and protecting the integrity of U.S. elections held under the District of New Jersey. The government in the case is being represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin D. Bleiberg.
A release from the United States Attorney’s Office District of New Jersey reiterated that in order to validly register and cast a ballot in an election an individual must be a U.S. citizen. Charitun was not a citizen at the time he registered in New Jersey. Charitun falsely certified on his registration form that he was a citizen.
Once the application was approved, Charitun, still not a citizen, voted in the midterm elections held on November 8, 2022, which concerned the election of a member of the House of Representatives. After illegally voting in a federal election, the suspect applied for legal citizenship, submitting an application for naturalization, which is an N-400 form.
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The form requires the applicant to swear under penalty of perjury that the information provided on the document is complete, true, and correct. Charitun lied on the form and claimed he never registered or participated in a federal election. If the suspect is convicted, he could serve up to a year in federal prison.
The additional charge of unlawful procurement of citizenship or naturalization could land him behind bars for up to a decade. Conservatives have pointed out that liberals have claimed that our elections are the most secure in the world and that this kind of voter fraud is not occurring, at least on a regular basis. This particular incident indicates otherwise.
Watch a DOGE volunteer describe the illegal alien voting problem here: