Full Breakdown
Minnesota Indicts Ten Permanent Residents for Alleged Voter Fraud
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Event: Federal Grand Jury Indicts Ten Lawful Permanent Residents
On September 30, 2026, Attorney General Todd Blanche will hold a press conference announcing that a federal grand jury has indicted ten lawful permanent residents for allegedly voting illegally—or attempting to do so—in Minnesota elections, including the August 2026 primary. The defendants are accused of lying about U.S. citizenship to register and then casting ballots in the 2022 and 2024 general elections and the 2026 primary.
Background & Context: DOJ’s Renewed Emphasis on Voter-Fraud Prosecutions
Since President Donald Trump returned to office in 2025, the Department of Justice (DOJ) has pursued more than 90 voter-fraud cases nationwide, with 50 filings reported in the five weeks preceding the Minnesota indictment. The DOJ says these actions protect confidence in the electoral system.
Data & Statistics
- Defendants:
- Bhator Konah Bryant, 61, Liberia
- Alan Barbu Kargbo, 48, Liberia
- Chris Adam Pettiquoi, 43, Liberia
- Edvile Vaidoto Edmunds, 59, Lithuania
- Joshua Frederick Kofi Edzie, 63, Ghana
- Paul Kras, 78, Germany
- Fadil Rasim Ozegovic, 58, Bosnia
- Aparecido Donizetti Padovan, 62, Brazil
- Christian Liam Schenk, 47, Canada
- Hester Sophia Weihmann, 69, South Africa
- Charges: Nine counts of illegal voting by a non-citizen and nine counts of false citizenship claims.
- Potential Penalties: Up to five years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine for false-citizenship claims; up to one year imprisonment and a $100,000 fine for voting as a non-citizen.
- Broader Enforcement: Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin reports more than 1,600 active investigations into alleged voter fraud across the United States.
Official Statements & Responses
Blanche criticized media coverage, saying investigations must become “meaningful to the media.” U.S. Attorney for Minnesota Daniel Rosen warned non-citizens that convictions will result in jail time and other consequences. Secretary Mullin noted the scale of investigations but declined to detail how the SAVE database will be used. Blanche also announced a judicial-misconduct complaint against several Minnesota federal judges who discussed the matter with the press.
Verbatim Quotes
- “Voter fraud erodes the public's trust in our electoral system, and it's vital to our democratic process that we do everything that we can to restore that trust,” — Todd Blanche
- “In Minnesota, if you're not a citizen, do not try to vote. We will prosecute you. If you're convicted, you'll face jail time and consequences,” — U.S. Attorney
What’s Next
The indictment will be filed in Ramsey and Hennepin County district courts; court dates have not been released. The DOJ’s complaint to the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals seeks an investigation of the Minnesota judges and requests their recusal from any case involving the Department of Homeland Security.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
No source provides a definitive count of how many non-citizens are currently registered to vote in Minnesota, though a DHS review cited a national estimate of up to 278,000 non-citizens registered nationwide. The exact number of Minnesota voters affected by the alleged scheme remains unverified.