You have to admire the sheer audacity, even if you cannot admire the decision making. A Slovakian green card holder in New Jersey allegedly registered to vote by claiming he was a U.S. citizen, cast a ballot in the 2022 midterm elections, and then applied for actual citizenship while swearing under penalty of perjury that he had never registered or voted in any election. That is what we in the business call a self-own speedrun.
As The American Tribune reported, Marian Charitun was arrested by the FBI and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and turned over to ICE's Homeland Security Investigations. The Department of Homeland Security announced the arrest on July 9, 2026, confirming that Charitun is now facing federal charges for illegally voting in a federal election and making false statements on his naturalization application.
Here is the timeline for anyone keeping score at home. Step one: Charitun registers to vote in New Jersey and falsely certifies on his registration form that he is a United States citizen. Step two: He votes in the November 8, 2022 general election, which included a race for the U.S. House of Representatives. Step three: He fills out an N-400 naturalization form, which requires applicants to swear under penalty of perjury that everything on the form is true, and he checks the box saying he has never registered or voted in any federal, state, or local election. The man literally created a paper trail that contradicted itself.
Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis did not mince words about the situation. "This alien from Slovakia illegally voted in American elections, and then lied about it when he tried to apply for citizenship," she said. "Our message to aliens who vote in American elections is clear: we will find you, arrest you, and you will face the consequences, including criminal charges and deportation. Only Americans should be electing American leaders."
According to Homeland Security, the case was brought under the U.S. Attorney's Office Election Integrity Task Force for the District of New Jersey. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin D. Bleiberg is representing the government.
The potential consequences are not exactly a slap on the wrist. The illegal voting charge carries up to a year in federal prison, while the false statements charge related to unlawful procurement of citizenship or naturalization could land him behind bars for up to ten years.
For years, certain folks have insisted that noncitizen voting simply does not happen and that our elections are basically Fort Knox with better security. This case suggests the locks might not be quite as tight as advertised. The good news is that the system eventually caught the guy. The bad news is that it took his own naturalization application to do it. When the criminal fills out the paperwork that catches himself, you have to wonder how many people out there are smart enough to skip step three.
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