COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced on Tuesday that three individuals from Northeast Ohio have been indicted for alleged illegal voting in previous elections.
“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.”
In total, six Ohio residents were indicted.
Special prosecutors with Yost's office presented the following cases to grand juries last week:
68-year-old Ramesh Patel of North Royalton
Patel was indicted in Cuyahoga County on one count of illegal voting after allegedly voting in 2014, 2016 and 2018 without having U.S. citizenship. He will be arraigned on Nov. 1 at 8:30 a.m.
78-year-old Lorinda Miller of Hudson
Miller was indicted in Summit County on two counts of illegal voting. According to officials, Miller is a legal permanent resident, but lacked U.S. citizenship when she allegedly voted in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019.
32-year-old Nicholas Fontaine of Kent
Fontaine, who is a legal permanent resident, lacked U.S. citizenship when he allegedly voted in 2016 and 2018. He is charged with one count of illegal voting and will be arraigned on Dec. 2 at 1 p.m.
Officials noted that illegal voting is a fourth-degree felony.
In addition, a case was presented to a Lorain County grand jury, but a "no bill" was issued, declining to charge the individual. The uncharged subject, an Oberlin College student, was alleged to have 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.”
The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation investigated the cases.
