The women, who were born in Ukraine, are green card holders, not U.S. citizens, as is required to vote in federal elections. They now represent two of the first illegal voting charges brought by the Justice Department under President Trump.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi issued a stern warning to those engaged in government fraud at the most recent Cabinet meeting on Monday.
Donald Trump and his allies have for years pushed the false narrative that non-U.S. citizens are voting in large numbers in federal elections, but nothing in these initial charges points to any widespread conspiracy.
Bondi also mentioned that, under Trump’s directive, the Department of Justice (DOJ) will begin seeking the death penalty for those convicted of violent crimes.
“All of these horrible violent criminals that you’re hearing about around the country, they will face the death penalty federally within our country,” Bondi said. “And the drug dealers need to get out of here, because we are coming after you. We’re going to have 94 great U.S. attorneys around this country, and everyone will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
The topic of government fraud was mentioned throughout the meeting, with Musk claiming that he found $330 million worth of waste within the Small Business Administration (SBA).