Lawful Permanent Resident from Cuba Arrested for Unlawful Voting by an Alien

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A lawful permanent resident from Cuba was arrested today after being charged with unlawful voting by an alien.

Andre's Garcia, 64, was charged with two counts of illegally voting in federal elections in November 2022 and November 2024.

Garcia was born in Cuba to two Cuban citizens and immigrated to the United States during his childhood. In 2009, he applied for and was granted lawful permanent residency. Prior to even becoming a lawful permanent resident, Garcia registered to vote in Cass County, Mo. in 2004. Garcia has voted regularly for the last 20 years in at least 15 elections, including at least 13 federal elections. Lawful permanent residents are not allowed to vote in federal elections and are not allowed to vote in state or local elections in Missouri. Garcia knew he was not a United States citizen but nevertheless claimed to be one when registering to vote in 2004 and again in 2013.

"When an individual who is not legally permitted to vote casts a ballot, it undermines the public's confidence in our elections," said R. Matthew Price, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri. "Free and fair elections depend on the integrity of our voting process and compliance with the law. Our office will aggressively enforce federal election laws and hold accountable anyone who interferes with the integrity of the electoral process."

"Election integrity is nonnegotiable. Individuals who knowingly violate federal voting laws undermine public trust in the democratic process and will be held accountable," said Homeland Security Investigations Kansas City Acting Special Agent in Charge Rick Sabatini. "HSI will continue working with our law enforcement partners to identify, investigate, and stop those who illegally interfere with the integrity of our elections."

The charges contained in the indictment are simply accusations and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury who will be responsible for determining whether the defendants are guilty or not.

Under federal statutes, Garcia is subject to a sentence of up to one year in prison and a fine of $100,000 on each charge. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors

This case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney, Michael J. Nichols. It was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security Office - Homeland Security Investigations.