The Justice Department announced Thursday, Oct. 29, that 18 non-citizens in North Carolina have been indicted for illegally voting in the 2024 election. The announcement came from FBI Charlotte and its law enforcement partners, five days before Election Day on Nov. 3.
A federal grand jury in Charlotte returned indictments against four people in the Western District of North Carolina. Three of them live in Charlotte: Michael Agah, 74, a Nigerian national and lawful permanent resident, accused of falsely claiming U.S. citizenship on an Authorization to Vote Form and voting on Nov. 5, 2024; Serge Christian Dupont, 57, a French national and lawful permanent resident, accused of making the same false claim on an Authorization to Vote Form and voting the same day; and Edread Ray Stanley, 63, a national of St. Kitts and Nevis and a lawful permanent resident, accused of knowingly voting on Nov. 5, 2024, while not a U.S. citizen. A fourth Western District defendant, Luis Alberto DeJesus, 50, of Conover, is accused of falsely claiming citizenship on an Early Voting Application and voting on Oct. 30, 2024.
Nine people were charged in the Eastern District, five in the Middle District, and four in the Western District. Combined with 12 people previously indicted in the Eastern District, the statewide total reaches 30 people indicted this year for illegally voting, according to the Justice Department.
Falsely claiming U.S. citizenship to vote carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Voting by an alien carries a maximum of one year in prison and a $100,000 fine. A judge would determine any sentence after conviction, under federal sentencing guidelines.
FBI Charlotte Special Agent in Charge Reid Davis said protecting the election process is core to the FBI’s mission, and that when questions about voter eligibility arise, the bureau works with state and federal partners to review records and confirm the facts. U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson for the Western District pointed to North Carolina’s 2025 municipal elections, in which he said 14 races were decided by 2 votes, 15 by 1 vote, and 7 were tied.
An important caveat: An indictment contains accusations only. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law, as the Justice Department itself notes.
The announcement lands in the same week that DOJ election monitors are set to be in Mecklenburg, Wake and Alamance counties on Election Day, Nov. 3. Early voting ends at 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31; on Election Day, polls are open 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
