Nine More Pennsylvania Noncitizens Charged With Illegally Voting in Federal Elections
Federal prosecutors have charged nine more Pennsylvania residents with voting in federal elections despite not being U.S. citizens, the Justice Department announced Friday.
U.S. Attorneys David Metcalf of the Eastern District and Brian Miller of the Middle District said each defendant was charged by information with voting by an alien, according to the department.
The cases were investigated by Homeland Security Investigations. Under federal and state law, only U.S. citizens may vote in Pennsylvania.
Artur Kopacz, 50, of Philadelphia, a citizen of Poland, is accused of voting in both the 2022 and 2024 general elections. He faces up to two years in prison if convicted.
Inna Henry, 52, of Harrisburg, a citizen of Russia, is also accused of voting in 2022 and 2024. Nourten Kuruju, 64, of Luzerne, a citizen of Greece, allegedly voted in 2022.
Six others are accused of voting in the 2024 general election: Osmal Loy, 70, of Fountain Hill; Yehuda Peer, 30, of Merion Station; Alfredo Santiesteban, 73, of Philadelphia; and Joyce Pitts, 80, of Effort.
Joyce Donovan, 38, and Nina Nyawara, 21, both of Selinsgrove, round out the 2024 cases. The defendants are citizens of Cuba, Israel, Kenya and the Netherlands, among other countries.
Prosecutors said eight of the nine are lawful permanent residents. Besides Kopacz, the defendants face up to one year in prison and a fine if convicted.
“Upholding the integrity of our elections, and the right of American citizens to determine the outcome, is non-negotiable,” Metcalf said. “Our democracy depends on it.”
“These cases are important because the crime of illegal voting undermines the integrity of our elections and harms citizens by stealing the power of our votes,” Miller said.
“Illegal voting is not a victimless crime but a serious affront to the principles of our democratic republic,” he added.
The department did not say which candidates the defendants allegedly supported. The charges are accusations, and each defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
Attorney Says Client Thought He Was Eligible
Kopacz’s attorney, Chuck Peruto, said his client passed the citizenship test twice but failed to submit a certified copy of a record showing he had no criminal history, Votebeat reported.
Peruto said Kopacz voted while waiting to become a citizen because he believed he was eligible. “He’s been here since he was 17 and is now 50, happily married to an American citizen,” he said.
The latest cases bring to 20 the number of people charged with noncitizen-voting-related crimes in Pennsylvania since September.
A Votebeat and Spotlight PA analysis found 176 allegedly fraudulent ballots cast in the state since mid-2015, out of more than 67 million votes, including the newest charges.
The Department of Homeland Security has claimed it identified 14,576 potential noncitizens registered to vote in Pennsylvania but had not shared that list with state officials as of Friday.
Earlier this month, Metcalf’s office charged four other noncitizens with voting in the 2024 election. “We will continue to prosecute every instance of non-citizen voting that we encounter,” he said at the time.
The charges come as the Trump administration presses a nationwide crackdown on election crimes ahead of the Nov. 3 midterms.
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