A federal grand jury has indicted ten foreign nationals on voter fraud charges related to Minnesota elections, U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen announced. The defendants are accused of voting illegally or falsely claiming U.S. citizenship to obtain ballots in the November 2022 and 2024 general elections and the August 2026 primary.
The ten individuals come from eight countries, including Liberia, Lithuania, Ghana, Germany, Bosnia, Brazil, Canada and South Africa. Each defendant has already made an initial appearance in federal court and faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted.
Rosen and Blanche Speak on Minnesota Voter Fraud
U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen made clear his office intends to aggressively pursue these cases. “Voting in American elections is a privilege of American citizenship,” Rosen said. “Stealing that privilege is a crime. When, in order to obtain a ballot, a non-citizen swears he or she is a citizen, we will prosecute.”
Attorney General Todd Blanche emphasized the breadth of the alleged conduct, noting that one defendant cast a ballot as recently as this past August. “Today’s charges allege that ten foreign nationals committed voter fraud in Minnesota, one voting illegally as recently as this August’s primary,” Blanche said. “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.”
Homeland Security Investigations led the probe that produced the indictments. Reporters can review the Minnesota voter fraud indictment for the full list of defendants and charges.
The Ten Defendants and Their Alleged Offenses
The indicted individuals range in age from 43 to 78. Among them, Joshua Frederick Kofi Edzie, 63, a Ghanaian national, faces the most counts, including two counts of making a false claim of citizenship and one count of voting as an alien, with alleged illegal votes cast as recently as August 11, 2026.
Seven of the ten defendants, including Liberian nationals Alan Barbu Kargbo and Chis Adam Pettiquoi, Bosnian national Fadil Rasim Ozegovic, Brazilian national Aparecido Donizetti Padovan, Canadian national Christian Liam Schenk, German national Paul Kras and South African national Hester Sophia Weihmann, are alleged to have voted illegally on November 5, 2024. Bhator Konah Bryant, also a Liberian national, is accused of falsely claiming citizenship when registering to vote in October 2024, while Lithuanian national Edvile Vaidoto Edmunds is alleged to have voted illegally in the November 2022 election.
What Comes Next for the Defendants
All ten defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law, as the indictments represent allegations at this stage. Each case will now move through the federal court system in Minnesota.
Prosecutors have signaled they will continue to pursue non-citizen voting cases, and the involvement of Homeland Security Investigations suggests ongoing scrutiny of voter rolls for additional violations.
