French citizen pleads guilty to illegally voting in 2022 NJ federal election
DOJ cracks down on non-citizen voters
UC Berkeley Law professor John Yoo joins ‘Fox News Live’ to discuss the Justice Department’s investigation into voter rolls that attempted to identify non-citizen voters.
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
FIRST ON FOX: Lawyers representing a French citizen who recently admitted to voting illegally in the 2022 federal midterm elections told Fox News Digital that he thought he was allowed to vote because he was automatically registered when he got his New Jersey driver’s license.
Eliezer Kadoch, 39, of Toms River, pleaded guilty to voting by an alien in the federal election before U.S. Magistrate Judge J. Brandon Day in Trenton federal court, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey.
Although Kadoch is a citizen of France and has never held U.S. citizenship, he voted illegally on Nov. 8, 2022, during an election held in part to elect members of the U.S. House of Representatives, according to court documents.
FOUR NON-CITIZENS CHARGED WITH ILLEGAL VOTING IN NEW JERSEY’S 2020, 2022 AND 2024 FEDERAL ELECTIONS
FILE – The Department of Homeland Security ordered US Immigration and Customs Enforcement to deport undocumented immigrants who voted in American elections. (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP Photo)
Yosef Jacobovitch, an attorney representing Kadoch, told Fox News Digital that his client “mistakenly believed” that when he voted, he was legally allowed to vote because he was automatically registered when he got his New Jersey driver’s license.
“Mr. Kadoch has accepted responsibility for his actions,” Jacobovitch said. “… It was never his intention to violate the law or vote illegally. Unfortunately, the crime to which he pleaded guilty does not require proof of criminal intent, and he now fully understands this.”
Kadoch now faces up to six months in federal prison and a $100,000 fine, according to authorities. His sentencing is scheduled for October 26.
SUPREME COURT GIVES TRUMP TWO MAJOR IMMIGRATION VICTORIES
FILE – A woman wearing gloves drops a mail-in ballot into a mailbox in Hackensack, NJ (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)
America First Policy Institute (AFPI) reported that issuing driver’s licenses to non-citizens along with automatic voter registration could result in their being added to the voter rolls.
The nonprofit said several states in recent years, including Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, Montana, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and Virginia, have investigated the issue and identified noncitizens on voter rolls.
Model legislation prepared by AFPI proposed solutions, including requiring proof of citizenship to vote and implementing audit requirements to ensure non-citizens are not on voter rolls.
A woman walks to cast her ballot after filling it out in a privacy booth while voting in the gubernatorial election on November 2, 2021 in Newark, NJ. (Eduardo Munoz/Reuters)
The lawsuit was filed by the U.S. Attorney’s Election Integrity Task Force, a coalition of federal law enforcement partners dedicated to protecting and protecting the integrity of elections in New Jersey, U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer said.
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD FOX NEWS APPLICATION
The investigation was a joint effort involving special agents from the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Kadoch’s immigration status has not been made public.
The New Jersey Secretary of State, New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission, Ocean County Clerk’s Office and AFPI did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment.
