Five Pennsylvania Residents Charged With Federal Election Crimes

The U.S. Department of Justice announced charges against five new defendants in Pennsylvania’s Eastern District on Monday, Nov. 2. These individuals join a group of 63 people charged across the country as part of a federal initiative targeting voting irregularities.

Gavin Moir, a 55-year-old Canadian national and lawful permanent resident, faces four counts of voting by an alien. Prosecutors allege he cast ballots in the 2022 and 2024 general elections as well as the 2022 and 2026 primaries.

Rosanny Fabre Villa, a 28-year-old citizen of the Dominican Republic, is charged with making a false statement of citizenship to vote. According to prosecutors, she submitted a voter registration application claiming she was a U.S. citizen despite knowing she was not. The release does not state that she actually cast a ballot.

Three other lawful permanent residents each face one count of voting by an alien after participating in the 2024 general election. Antonio Lyttle, 68, is a Jamaican national. Eija Annikki Yaroma, 66, is a Finnish national. Widarto, 56, is an Indonesian national identified in the release by one name.

The Department of Justice identified nine other Pennsylvania defendants in a separate announcement released on Monday, Oct. 26. Four of those individuals reside in the Eastern District. Artur Kopacz, a 50-year-old Polish national, faces two counts of voting by an alien for casting ballots in the 2022 and 2024 general elections.

Alfredo Santiesteban, 73, a Cuban national, is the only defendant in the October release described as being in the country illegally. He faces one count related to the 2024 general election. Osmal Loy, 70, a Cuban national, and Yehuda Peer, 30, an Israeli national, both face similar charges for the 2024 election.

Five defendants in Pennsylvania’s Middle District were also named in the October release. All are described as lawful permanent residents charged with voting by an alien. Nina Nyawara, 21, and Joyce Donovan, 38, both Kenyan nationals, voted in the 2024 federal election. Inna Henry, 52, a Russian national; Joyce Pitts, 80, a Dutch national; and Nourten Kuruju, 64, a Greek national, voted in the 2022 federal election.