Blanche announces charges against 10 permanent residents accused of Minnesota voter fraud

By Fox News · Fox News

Attorney General Todd Blanche announced Wednesday that a federal grand jury had indicted ten lawful permanent residents accused of voting illegally or attempting to do so in multiple Minnesota elections, including the state’s August 2026 primary. The ten defendants, originally from Liberia, Canada, South Africa, Brazil, Bosnia, Germany, Ghana and Lithuania, allegedly lied to election officials and told them they were U.S. citizens so they could register to vote. They were accused of voting in the 2022 and 2024 general elections , according to court records. " Voter fraud erodes the public's trust in our electoral system, and it's vital to our democratic process that we do everything that we can to restore that trust," Blanche said at a news conference announcing the charges. FEDERAL INDICTMENT HANDED DOWN IN MINNESOTA RELATED TO ISSUE SOME DEMS CLAIM NEVER HAPPENS: 'HOTBED FOR FRAUD' "The most basic way the Department of Justice can accomplish this restoration of trust is by working to make sure the only people voting in an election in the United States are American citizens who are eligible to vote." The 10 defendants were charged separately. They are Bhator Konah Bryant, 61, of Liberia; Edvile Vaidoto Edmunds, 59, of Lithuania; Joshua Frederick Kofi Edzie, 63, of Ghana; Alan Barbu Kargbo, 48, of Liberia; Paul Kras, 78, of Germany; Fadil Rasim Ozegovic, 58, of Bosnia; Aparecido Donizetti Padovan, 62, of Brazil; Chris Adam Pettiquoi, 43, of Liberia; Christian Liam Schenk, 47, of Canada; and Hester Sophia Weihmann, 69, of South Africa. Bryant appears to be the only defendant who wasn't charged with voting illegally, only falsely claiming citizenship in 2024 to register. Making a false citizenship claim to vote is a felony punishable by up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, while voting by a noncitizen is a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in prison and a $100,000 fine. Blanche also expressed frustration that the media has, in his view, not taken th…