A 24-year-old Hudson County woman has been federally charged with illegally voting in two New Jersey elections while she was not yet a U.S. citizen and later unlawfully obtaining American citizenship, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey.
Lizabeth Almonte Rosa, of West New York, New Jersey, is a naturalized U.S. citizen who immigrated to the United States from the Dominican Republic.
Federal prosecutors allege that Almonte Rosa was not a U.S. citizen when she registered to vote in New Jersey. According to court documents, her voter registration form allegedly stated that she was a U.S. citizen.
She subsequently voted in person in both the June 2022 primary election and the November 2022 general election, prosecutors said.
At the time, Almonte Rosa had entered the United States from the Dominican Republic on an IR2 visa and was not yet authorized to vote in federal elections.
Naturalization Application Under Scrutiny
The case also involves Almonte Rosa’s later application for U.S. citizenship.
According to federal prosecutors, after voting in the 2022 elections, she submitted an N-400 application for naturalization. The government alleges that she falsely stated on the application that she had never registered to vote or voted in a federal election.
She later became a naturalized U.S. citizen.
Almonte Rosa is now charged with voting by an alien in a federal election and unlawfully procuring U.S. citizenship.
The illegal voting charge carries a maximum potential sentence of one year in prison and a fine of up to $100,000. The charge involving unlawful procurement of citizenship carries a maximum potential sentence of 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
Almonte Rosa made her initial appearance on October 7 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Stacey D. Adams in federal court in Newark.
The investigation involved the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and was brought through the U.S. Attorney’s Office Election Integrity Task Force.
The charges contained in the federal complaint are allegations. Almonte Rosa is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of New Jersey / U.S. Department of Justice
By NJ RADAR Team