Four Non-Citizens Charged with Illegally Voting in 2024 Election

PHILADELPHIA - United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that four non-citizens residing in Philadelphia have been charged with illegally voting. Under both federal and state law, only U.S. citizens may vote in Pennsylvania.

Jamil Ahmad, 50, was charged by information with voting by an alien during the 2024 election. At that time, Ahmad was a citizen of Pakistan and a lawful permanent resident of the United States.

Nighat Jamil, 47, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania was charged by information with voting by an alien during the 2024 election. Jamil is a citizen of Pakistan and a lawful permanent U.S. resident.

Hacina Saadi, 48, was charged by information with voting by an alien during the 2024 election. Saadi is a citizen of France and an illegal alien.

Paulo Silva, 54, was charged by information with voting by an alien during the 2024 election. Silva is a citizen of Portugal and a lawful permanent U.S. resident.

The informations allege that the defendants, despite knowing that they were not United States citizens, knowingly voted in an election held in part for the purpose of electing a candidate for the office of President, Vice President, and Presidential elector.

"Our democracy belongs to the American people and no one else," said U.S. Attorney Metcalf. "We will continue to prosecute every instance of non-citizen voting that we encounter."

If convicted, the defendants each face a maximum possible sentence of a fine, one year in prison, or both.

These cases were investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the FBI.

The charges and allegations contained in the informations are merely accusations. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.