By Michael Austin September 12, 2026 at 3:30am
The Department of Justice announced charges against a 30-year-old Mexican national who allegedly voted illegally in the 2024 election.
Katya Rodriguez, 30, who lives in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, has been charged with “false statement of citizenship in order to vote, fraudulent registration, and voting as an alien,” per a news release from the agency.
“The integrity of our elections, which are fundamental to democracy, should be of utmost importance to every American,” Attorney General Todd Blanche said.
“It is a cherished right for eligible American citizens, and only eligible American citizens, to vote for their representatives in government,” he added.
“Election fraud is a serious crime, and it is the duty of the Department of Justice to treat it as such.”
Rodriguez faces up to 11 years in prison, as well as a fine and a term of supervised release after her sentence.
Homeland Security Investigations led the investigation into the case.
Fox News obtained footage of Homeland Security Investigations personnel arresting Rodriguez from her apartment.
ELECTION FRAUD: The DOJ just charged five individuals across Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Wisconsin for illegally voting and fraudulent registration in the 2022 and 2024 elections — including two illegal immigrants and two non-citizens with legal status.
Exclusive footage… pic.twitter.com/55JH9gVS9T
— Fox News Politics (@foxnewspolitics) September 5, 2026
Pennsylvania, which has 19 electoral votes, was a heated battleground state in the 2024 election.
President Donald Trump won the state with 50.4 percent of the vote, while now-former Vice President Kamala Harris fell short with 48.7 percent, according to a report from Politico.
The Department of Justice said that the prosecution is part of Operation Take Back America — an initiative that “marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration.”
Four other individuals in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Wisconsin were charged last week for the alleged illegal casting ballots in the 2022 and 2024 elections, per a separate news release from the agency.
“As alleged, these five individuals in New Jersey, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania, including two illegal aliens, stole votes from American citizens when they decided to break the law and undermine our elections,” FBI Director Kash Patel said.
“Protecting election integrity for the American people is one of the top priorities for this FBI. Every American citizen has a right to free and fair elections, and we will not hesitate to use all available resources to investigate every credible allegation of election fraud and illegal voting.”
Thomas Holtzman, 68, and his wife Marisol Guzman, 50, both of Carlisle, Pennsylvania, were also charged after Guzman allegedly illegally voted in 2024.
Holtzman, while a U.S. citizen, was charged with “false statement of citizenship in order to vote and aiding and abetting and fraudulent registration and aiding and abetting.”
Guzman faces up to one year in prison, while Holtzman could spend 10 years behind bars.
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Michael wrote for several entertainment news outlets before joining The Western Journal in 2020. He now serves as Managing Editor, which involves managing the editorial team and operations, guiding the publication’s editorial direction, and writing, editing, curating and assigning stories as needed.
Birthplace
Ames, Iowa
Nationality
American
Education
Iowa State University
Topics of Expertise
Cultural Politics, Pop Culture, Christian-Conservatism
