A joint enforcement operation involving the U.S. Department of Justice, Homeland Security, and the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office has resulted in charges against nine individuals accused of illegal voting in the Fort Worth area.
Federal investigators charged seven of the nine defendants while local prosecutors handled the remaining two. The alleged offenses involve voting or attempting to vote in the 2024 election and in previous election cycles.
Five of the nine defendants are lawful permanent residents who hold legal status in the United States but are not citizens and therefore cannot legally cast a ballot. A sixth individual is accused of stealing the identity of an American citizen back in 2008 and using that false identity to vote.
Most of the defendants were initially flagged by the Texas Secretary of State’s office after paperwork discrepancies triggered a review. Law enforcement officials held a press conference in Fort Worth Thursday afternoon to announce the charges.
U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Ryan Raybould expressed confidence in the cases moving forward. “Checking a box that’s saying you’re a US citizen or telling a driver’s license employee that you’re a US citizen in addition to other evidence I feel pretty confident we’re going to convict them. But again they’re entitled to all the protections of our Constitution. They’re innocent until proven guilty” Raybould said.
Those charged at the local level face up to six months in jail if convicted. Federal charges for illegal voting carry a one-year prison sentence while federal identity theft convictions come with a mandatory minimum of two years behind bars.
To put the numbers in context roughly 800,000 people cast ballots in Tarrant County during the 2024 election. Illegal voting remains statistically rare and is frequently detected and prosecuted when it does occur.
Across the country only dozens of individuals are convicted annually for casting illegal ballots. The White House has made combating voter fraud a stated priority and has directed resources from multiple federal agencies toward that goal though large-scale fraud cases have proven difficult to substantiate.
The Tarrant County cases represent one of the more concentrated local enforcement actions tied to the federal push against election integrity violations. Investigators say the charges reflect the kind of cooperation between state and federal agencies that officials believe is necessary to detect and prosecute illegal voting.