Six Caribbean nationals charged in North Carolina illegal voting cases
Key Points(5)
- Six Caribbean nationals, including citizens of Jamaica, Barbados, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Bermuda and St.
- Kitts and Nevis, are among 18 non-U.S.
- citizens indicted or charged in North Carolina for allegedly voting illegally in the 2024 U.S.
- Department of Justice announced the charges on Oct.
- 29, bringing the total number of people charged in North Carolina this year with illegally registering to vote or voting to 30.
Six Caribbean nationals, including citizens of Jamaica, Barbados, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Bermuda and St. Kitts and Nevis, are among 18 non-U.S. citizens indicted or charged in North Carolina for allegedly voting illegally in the 2024 U.S. elections.
The U.S. Department of Justice announced the charges on Oct. 29, bringing the total number of people charged in North Carolina this year with illegally registering to vote or voting to 30.
The six Caribbean nationals are lawful permanent residents of the United States, according to the Justice Department.
Among them is Karl Anthony Wilkins, 62, a Jamaican native who now resides in Fulton County, Georgia. He is charged with falsely claiming U.S. citizenship to register to vote and voting as a noncitizen. Prosecutors allege that Wilkins registered in 2018 and voted in the 2020, 2022 and 2024 general elections, as well as the 2020 primary election, in Wake County, North Carolina.
Gregory Eugene Wade, 64, a native of Bermuda residing in Wake County, North Carolina, faces the same charges. He allegedly registered to vote in 2000 and participated in 12 general elections between 2000 and 2024, as well as two primary elections in 2002 and 2020.
In the Middle District of North Carolina, Phillip Alexander Carter, a Barbados native living in Winston-Salem, and Juan Florencio Ramos, a Cuban citizen residing in Salisbury, were each indicted on charges of knowingly making false claims of U.S. citizenship to vote and voting as noncitizens.
In the Western District, Luis Alberto DeJesus, 50, a Dominican national residing in Conover, is charged with voting in a federal election as a noncitizen and falsely claiming U.S. citizenship on an early voting application. Prosecutors allege that he voted on Oct. 30, 2024, after claiming to be a U.S. citizen.
Edread Ray Stanley, 63, a national of St. Kitts and Nevis residing in Charlotte, was charged with voting as a noncitizen in the Nov. 5, 2024, federal election. Unlike the other five Caribbean nationals, he faces no separate charge of falsely claiming U.S. citizenship.
The cases form part of a broader Justice Department crackdown on alleged illegal voting by noncitizens in North Carolina. Of the 18 new cases announced Oct. 29, nine were filed in the Eastern District, five in the Middle District and four in the Western District.
The charges carry potential prison sentences and financial penalties. Knowingly making a false claim of U.S. citizenship to vote carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a US$250,000 fine, while voting by a noncitizen carries a maximum penalty of one year in prison and a US$100,000 fine.
The FBI and Homeland Security Investigations are investigating the cases. The Justice Department emphasized that the charges are allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
