THREE FOREIGN NATIONALS CHARGED WITH ILLEGALLY VOTING IN 2024 FEDERAL ELECTIONS IN TENNESSEE

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE — Three foreign nationals have been charged in Middle Tennessee with illegally voting in the 2024 federal elections and falsely claiming United States citizenship on state voter registration applications. The charges were announced on October 30, 2026, by U.S. Attorney Braden H. Boucek for the Middle District of Tennessee following federal investigations involving the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the Tennessee Secretary of State’s Office.

According to federal court documents, the defendants are Garfield St. Vincent Bruce, 48, a Jamaican citizen; Mariela Elizabeth Avila Ortiz, 33, a Honduran citizen; and Allison Melissa Wilkes, 49, a citizen of Trinidad and Tobago. Each is accused of participating in the 2024 election despite lacking United States citizenship, a requirement for voting in federal elections.

Federal prosecutors allege that Bruce voted in the November 2024 election, which included races for President, Vice President, the United States Senate, and the House of Representatives. He is also accused of knowingly and falsely representing himself as a U.S. citizen on a Tennessee voter registration application submitted in 2024 for the purpose of registering to vote or voting in federal, state, or local elections.

Avila Ortiz faces corresponding allegations involving her participation in the same federal election. According to prosecutors, she falsely claimed U.S. citizenship on a Tennessee voter registration application in 2024 and subsequently cast a ballot in an election involving federal offices. Investigators allege that the citizenship declaration was knowingly and willfully false.

Wilkes is similarly charged with voting in the 2024 federal election and falsely declaring U.S. citizenship on a Tennessee voter registration application. Federal authorities allege that she knowingly and willfully misrepresented her citizenship status for the purpose of registering to vote or voting in a federal, state, or local election.

Federal law prohibits individuals who are not U.S. citizens from voting in elections involving federal offices, subject to limited statutory exceptions. Knowingly making a false claim of citizenship to register to vote or participate in an election can also constitute a separate federal offense. These prohibitions apply independently of whether a person is otherwise lawfully residing in the United States.

The charges concern the individual actions of the three defendants. The Justice Department’s announcement does not identify evidence of a coordinated voting operation, specify which candidates received their votes, or establish that the alleged conduct affected any election outcome. The cases remain individual federal criminal prosecutions.

U.S. Attorney Braden H. Boucek emphasized the federal government’s responsibility to enforce voting eligibility requirements and maintain confidence in the electoral process. HSI Nashville Special Agent in Charge Dennis M. Fetting also reaffirmed the agency’s role in investigating suspected violations of federal election laws in cooperation with other law enforcement partners.

The investigations were conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Homeland Security Investigations, with assistance from the Tennessee Secretary of State’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney F. Dalton Thompson III is prosecuting the defendants in the Middle District of Tennessee.

The three cases involve allegations of unlawful voting and false citizenship representations during the 2024 election cycle. Federal prosecutors must establish the necessary elements of each offense through the judicial process before criminal liability can be determined.

All three defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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