Justice Department indicts 10 for false claims they were citizens when voting or registering in Minnesota

"We do face institutional headwinds in Minnesota, but your team of federal prosecutors in Minnesota's US Attorney's Office and our partners in federal law enforcement agencies are motivated, highly skilled, and out there every day doing the work needed to end Minnesota's culture of fraud, and the culture of tolerance that allowed it to flourish for so long," announced United States Attorney Daniel Rosen.

Federal prosecutors earlier unsealed a batch of court documents revealing that multiple people are facing criminal counts for casting ballots in October and November of 2024, despite being fully aware they were not U.S. citizens.

Rosen says the defendants are from Liberia, Lithuania, Ghana, Germany, Bosnia, Brazil, Canada, and South Africa. He was joined by Attorney General Todd Blanche and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin in making the announcement Wednesday.

"In Minnesota, if you're not a citizen, don't try to vote we will prosecute you, and if you're convicted, you'll face jail time and any other consequences to your immigration status that the law may provide for," Rosen added.

They are all accused of casting ballots or making false citizenship claims across multiple elections.

“Today's charges allege that ten foreign nationals committed voter fraud in Minnesota, one voting illegally as recently as this August's primary,” said Blanche. “The law is clear, only American citizens may vote in American elections, and enforcing this law is fundamental to our democracy. That should not be a partisan concept.”

WCCO did receive reaction from the Minnesota Secretary of State, Steve Simon, on the federal indictment later Wednesday afternoon. Simon said in a statement:

"Minnesota is widely known for outstanding voter participation, election security, and overall election administration. These indictments affirm the fact that non citizen voting is a rare crime. If these indictments result in convictions, that will amount to ten individuals over a period in which around 8.5 million votes were cast in Minnesota."

Also during the announcement, Blanch said they have filed a misconduct complaint against federal judges in Minnesota who spoke to the New York Times about the administration's immigration crackdown in their state at the beginning of the year.

On September 17, 2026, the paper published an article titled Trump’s Minnesota Surge Threatened Democracy, Judge Warns. The article explains that Judge Patrick Schiltz of the District of Minnesota sat for a 90-minute interview.

According to the filing by the DOJ, six other “members of Minnesota’s federal bench” also “agreed to speak to the New York Times about last winter’s tumult.” This included “six of the seven judges who held active status in Minnesota last winter.” That's almost the entire bench across the state.

Blanche said this was "a clear violation of their ethical duties" and requested judges recused themselves from all civil and criminal immigration cases.

"Seven federal judges in the District of Minnesota talked to the New York Times about cases, some of which are on-going, in a manner that the Department of Justice views as a clear violation of their ethical duties," said Attorney General Todd Blanche. "Their conduct has undermined public confidence in an impartial judiciary in Minnesota."

The defendants and their charges include:

• Bhator Konah Bryant, 61, a Liberian national, on one count of making a false claim of citizenship in order to vote. She is alleged to have falsely claimed United States citizenship when registering to vote on October 18, 2024. The defendant had her initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Elsa M. Bullard on September 29, 2026.
• Edvile Vaidoto Edmunds, 59, a Lithuanian national, on one count of voting by alien. She is alleged to have voted illegally as an alien in Minnesota on November 8, 2022. The defendant had her initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Elsa M. Bullard on September 29, 2026.
• Joshua Frederick Kofi Edzie, 63, a Ghanian national, on two counts of making a false claim of citizenship in order to vote and one count of voting by alien. He is alleged to have voted illegally as an alien in Minnesota on August 11, 2026, and falsely claimed United States citizenship in order to vote on October 23, 2024 and August 11, 2026. The defendant had his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Elsa M. Bullard on September 28, 2026.
• Alan Barbu Kargbo, 48, a Liberian national, on one count of making a false claim of citizenship in order to vote and one count of voting by alien. He is alleged to have voted illegally as an alien in Minnesota and falsely claimed United States citizenship in order to vote on November 5, 2024. The defendant had his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Elsa M. Bullard on September 28, 2026.
• Paul Kras, 78, a German national, on one count of voting by alien. He is alleged to have voted illegally as an alien in Minnesota on November 5, 2024. The defendant had his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Elsa M. Bullard on September 29, 2026.
• Fadil Rasim Ozegovic, 58, a Bosnian national, on one count of making a false claim of citizenship in order to vote and one count of voting by alien. He is alleged to have voted illegally as an alien in Minnesota and falsely claimed United States citizenship in order to vote on November 5, 2024. The defendant had his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Elsa M. Bullard on September 29, 2026.
• Aparecido Donizetti Padovan, 62, a Brazilian national, on one count of making a false claim of citizenship in order to vote and one count of voting by alien. He is alleged to have voted illegally as an alien in Minnesota and falsely claimed United States citizenship in order to vote on November 5, 2024. The defendant had his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Elsa M. Bullard on September 29, 2026.
• Chis Adam Pettiquoi, 43, a Liberian national, on one count of making a false claim of citizenship in order to vote and one count of voting by alien. He is alleged to have voted illegally as an alien in Minnesota and falsely claimed United States citizenship in order to vote on November 5, 2024. The defendant had his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Elsa M. Bullard on September 29, 2026.
• Christian Liam Schenk, 47, a Canadian national, on one count of making a false claim of citizenship in order to vote and one count of voting by alien. He is alleged to have voted illegally as an alien in Minnesota and falsely claimed United States citizenship in order to vote on November 5, 2024. The defendant had his initial appearance in the District of Massachusetts on September 29, 2026.
• Hester Sophia Weihmann, 69, a South African national, on one count of making a false claim of citizenship in order to vote and one count of voting by alien. She is alleged to have voted illegally as an alien in Minnesota and falsely claimed United States citizenship in order to vote on November 5, 2024. The defendant had her initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Elsa M. Bullard on September 29, 2026.