7 charged with voter fraud during 2024 elections in North Texas
Multiple arrested in North Texas for federal voter fraud
A voter fraud investigation in Dallas and Tarrant counties resulted in the arrests of seven people, and Tarrant County officials have charged two more. FOX 4's Dionne Anglin has more.
FORT WORTH, Texas - Seven people in North Texas have been taken into federal custody and accused of voting illegally during recent general elections in Tarrant County and Dallas County.
North Texas election fraud arrests
What we know:
The U.S. Department of Justice announced seven people have been taken into federal custody for allegedly illegally voting in general elections in North Texas.
Six of the suspects have been federally indicted, while the seventh has been charged in a criminal complaint. Five were arrested on September 14, one was arrested on September 11, and another surrendered to federal authorities on Tuesday.
All seven of the suspects are non-citizens from Nigeria, Mexico, India, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, though six are lawful residents of the United States.
Six of the suspects are accused of illegally voting in the 2024 general election, and one is accused of illegally voting in the 2018 general election.
Two of the federal defendants cast provisional ballots that were rejected. Six of the cases involved illegally cast votes in Tarrant County.
Additionally, the Tarrant County District Attorney's Office has charged two more suspects with voter fraud, although those suspects have not been taken into custody.
What they're saying:
Ryan Raybould, the U.S. District Attorney for the Northern District of Texas, denied the idea that the investigation was politically motivated.
"We don't care who that person voted for. That's not our focus. Our focus is on the act of an illegal alien or an LPR casting a ballot in an election that he or she is not allowed to do," Raybould said.
"Just like we prosecute every violent crime vigorously, we're going to prosecute every instance of voting fraud very seriously."
Ryan Raybould
Dig deeper:
Tarrant County claimed 1.3 million registered voters during the 2024 presidential election.
The Source: Information in this story comes from the U.S. Department of Justice.