by J.D. Davidson
Six of the nearly 140 people referred to Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost by Secretary of State Frank LaRose for illegal voting have been indicted.
Yost announced Tuesday seven cases were presented to grand juries last week, resulting in six indictments for illegal voting. A grand jury refused to indict the seventh.
Five of the indictments involved legal U.S. permanent residents without citizenship. The sixth involved a noncitizen who accused of voting in 2014, 2016, and 2018. Only two of the indictments involved the 2020 election.
“The right to vote is sacred,” Yost said. “If you’re not a U.S. citizen, it’s illegal to vote – whether you thought you were allowed to or not – you will be held accountable.”
The indictments include:
• Ramesh Patel, 68, of North Royalton, was indicted in Cuyahoga County on one count of illegal voting. Patel was a U.S. citizen when accused of voting in 2014, 2016 and 2018.
• Lorinda Miller, 78, of Hudson, was indicted in Summit County on two counts of illegal voting. Miller is a legal permanent resident but was not a U.S. citizen when accused of voting in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019.
• Nicholas Fontaine, 32, of Kent, was indicted in Portage County on one count of illegal voting. Fontaine is a legal permanent resident but was not a U.S. citizen when accused of voting in 2016 and 2018.
• Ahmed Aden, 35, of Columbus, was indicted in Franklin County on one count of illegal voting. Aden is a legal permanent resident but was not a U.S. citizen when accused of voting in 2008 and 2020.
• Van Thuy Cooper, 53, of Hilliard, was indicted in Franklin County on one count of illegal voting. Cooper is a legal permanent resident but was not a U.S. citizen when accused of voting in 2016 and 2020.
• Mario Dearaujo, 62, of Columbus, was indicted in Franklin County on one count of illegal voting. Dearaujo is a lawful resident but not a U.S. citizen when accused of voting in 2016 and 2018.
Illegal voting is a fourth-degree felony. The penalty is up to 18 months in prison and a $5,000 fine.
Each case had previously been referred to county prosecutors. The case not indicted involved an Oberlin College student who allegedly voted in Ohio and Washington in 2018.
“Irregularities like this are rare, and this is a small number of cases,” Yost said. “We should all be confident in the upcoming election, knowing that the laws are being enforced and will continue to be enforced.”
Yost said his officer continues investigating voter fraud and has made other referrals to county prosecutors.
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An Ohio native, J.D. Davidson is a veteran journalist with more than 30 years of experience in newspapers in Ohio, Georgia, Alabama and Texas. He has served as a reporter, editor, managing editor and publisher. Davidson is a regional editor for The Center Square.
Photo “Voting Booths” by Corey Seeman. CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.
