A county-level grand jury in Ohio indicted several foreign nationals for election fraud related to the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections.
Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O’Brien announced Thursday that the Franklin County Grand Jury returned indictments against seven foreign nationals who allegedly voted illegally in recent U.S. elections.
Originally, the Secretary of State and Ohio Attorney General referred 36 cases to O’Brien’s office of non-citizens who “had registered and/or voted in recent elections in Franklin County.”
After further investigation by the Board of Elections and Franklin County Prosecutor’s Office, seven foreign nationals, who were not U.S. citizens, were criminally charged “for registering and voting in elections” in Franklin County.
Those charged include:
- Ana Matias, age 56, Columbus
- Irnatine W. Boayue, age 41, Canal Winchester
- Janitha Rippey, age 33, Columbus
- Kenyron O. Glasgow, age 38, Columbus
- Yaakov Menashe Schulman, age 41, Columbus
- Leslie Caroline Allen, age 56, Columbus
- Gilbert A. Brown, age 59, Columbus
“These newly indicted cases are a compilation of individuals, all of whom falsely registered to vote with the Franklin County Board of Elections by declaring they were United States citizens on their voter registration applications,” O’Brien stated. “The counts in the indictments include Illegal Voting (F-4), False Voter Registration (F-5), or a combination of both charges.”
Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine commended the work of local and state law enforcement officials in working to keep elections honest in Ohio.
“Voter fraud is a serious crime,” DeWine said. “When evidence warrants, we see prosecutions such as those Prosecutor O’Brien announced today. I am proud that my office is able to play an integral role in preserving voting integrity in Ohio.”
The remaining 29 foreign nationals referred to O’Brien for investigation were either not charged or remain under investigation.
The seven indicted foreign nationals are scheduled to be back in court on September 27 to face arraignment.