Trump Scores These 4 Wins Against Voter Fraud in One Week

The Trump administration Justice Department made significant moves to combat voter fraud during the final days of April and opening days of May—in some cases with the help of the Department of Government Efficiency, better known as DOGE.

That includes a conviction, three arrests, and the creation of a new task force. These actions are on the heels of President Donald Trump’s March executive order on election integrity. 

A federal judge imposed a temporary injunction on the part of Trump’s order requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote, but left most of the order in place—including directing the Justice Department to prioritize enforcing election laws.

As highlighted in my book “The Myth of Voter Suppression,” voter registration fraud, foreign nationals voting, and poor maintenance of voter registration rolls have been long-standing problems that federal prosecutors have seldom pursued.  

Last month, the left-leaning U.K. Guardian newspaper reported with alarm that under Harmeet Dhillon, assistant attorney general for civil rights in the Justice Department, the new mission statement under the Trump administration is to “ensure free, fair, and honest elections unmarred by fraud, errors, or suspicion.” 

Here’s a look at four big election integrity developments across the country just in the past seven days. 

1. Russian Collusion?

An Uzbekistan national pleaded guilty to conspiring with a Russian national to submit more than 100 fraudulent voter registration forms. 

United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe for the Middle District of Florida announced the guilty plea on Tuesday.  

Sanjar Jamilov, 32, a citizen of Uzbekistan living in St. Petersburg, Florida, faces a maximum of five years in federal prison. 

The plea agreement asserts that Dmitry Shushlebin, 45, a Russian living in Miami, hired Jamilov, among others, to submit more than 100 fraudulent voter registration applications to the Pinellas County supervisor of elections in February and March 2023, according to the Justice Department. Shushlebin pleaded not guilty.

“Our client maintains his innocence, and we are committed to a thorough and respectful defense within the bounds of federal law,” one of Shushlebin’s lawyers, Ama-Mariya Hoffenden, told The Daily Signal. “We trust the court will weigh the evidence carefully and fairly, as it is the foundation of our justice system.”

His other attorney, Chad Piotrowski, told The Daily Signal, “It’s easy to draw conclusions when a case involves charged terms like ‘Russia’ and ‘elections,’ but Mr. Shushlebin is entitled to a fair and fact-driven process.”

Shushlebin was charged in February with conspiring to submit fraudulent voter registration applications and give false information in registering to vote, according to the Justice Department.

The voter registration applications were submitted in names other than their own, according to the Justice Department. The applications were in envelopes with return and address labels that were identically formatted, including that they contained the same typo. 

The forms also had “various indicia of fraud including, among other things, repeating dates of birth and addresses and nearly sequential Social Security numbers,” according to the Justice Department press release. 

“Change of address forms were also submitted to the U.S. Postal Service to route mail to the names and addresses on the fraudulent applications to three locations that Shushlebin and Jamilov allegedly controlled,” according to the DOJ press release. “The Pinellas County supervisor of elections was able to detect the fraud and rejected the fraudulent applications.”

2. Ukrainian Voting

Last Halloween, two Ukrainian nationals allegedly cast early votes in the general election in Palm Beach, Florida. 

The two women, Svitlana Demydenko, 53, and her daughter, Yelyzaveta Demydenko, 22, made their initial appearances in West Palm Beach federal court on Tuesday, according to the Justice Department, and were charged with unlawful voting.

U.S. Attorney Hayden O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida is overseeing the case.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a post on X that Immigration and Customs Enforcement, as well as DOGE, assisted in the investigation. 

“In partnership with @DOGE, @ICEgov arrested two Ukrainian nationals for illegally voting in the 2024 election,” Noem posted. “Under President Donald Trump, if you come to our country and break our laws, you will face the consequences.”

The mother and daughter came to the United States in April 2021 on nonimmigrant visas. In August 2024, while living in Florida, they registered to vote in federal elections, according to the Justice Department.

Then, on Oct. 31, the Justice Department said the two voted. The 2024 election included the presidential race but also six Florida ballot measures pertaining to contentious issues such as abortion and legalized marijuana. 

The mother told law enforcement they were unaware that they couldn’t lawfully vote, reported WPTV, a West Palm Beach NBC affiliate. They said they voted to make a difference.

Both have only been arrested and are presumed innocent. 

3. Iraqi Voting

The Justice Department also charged an Iraqi national for allegedly casting an illegal vote in the 2020 election. 

The DOJ credited the Department of Government Efficiency with assisting in the investigation.

Iraqi national Akeel Abdul Jamiel, 45, formerly of South Glens Falls, New York, was charged on Friday with illegally voting. 

“As alleged, Jamiel’s voting in the 2020 election was a callous and illegal act. We will continue to investigate and prosecute illegal schemes aimed at corrupting the election process,” 

U.S. Attorney John Sarcone III in the Northern District of New York said Monday in a statement. 

Jamiel said he is innocent and has not been in the United States for years. If convicted, the charges carry a maximum one year in prison and a fine of up to $100,000, according to the Justice Department. 

“Someone probably using my social security [number] and identity to do crimes,” Jamiel told the Albany Times Union newspaper in an email. “Can you tell me how I voted illegal and for who? If I voted, it would be that they sent me a ballot.”

In a 2019 lawsuit against then-New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, Jamiel identified himself as a supporter of Donald Trump, The Associated Press reported. 

The fraud occurred in part because of New York’s lax voting laws, argued U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y.

“Here is yet another reason why New York State should require identification to vote,” she said in a statement. 

“New York remains one of the few states without any form of voter identification requirement,” Stefanik continued. “That is unacceptable.”

4. New Jersey Task Force

New Jersey is one of only two states with a governor’s race this year.

U.S. Attorney Alina Habba for the District of New Jersey announced Tuesday the creation of the Election Integrity Task Force that consists of a team of federal prosecutors working with the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, and other federal agencies to implement the directives of Trump’s executive order on election integrity. 

The task force’s objectives will include facilitating information-sharing among federal, state, and local officials to help election officials remove from New Jersey voter lists individuals who are not eligible to vote. It will also focus on enforcing federal laws that prohibit voter registration fraud, casting of fraudulent ballots, and voting by noncitizens.

In March, interim District of Columbia U.S. Attorney Ed Martin also established a special unit to investigate election offenses.

The post Trump Scores These 4 Wins Against Voter Fraud in One Week appeared first on The Daily Signal.