Two Ukrainian women voted illegally in Florida elections: now they will be tried

Two Ukrainian citizens living in south Florida on temporary visas have been charged with illegally voting in the 2024 U.S. presidential election, the United States Department of Justice (JD) announced on May 13. Both women have lived in the United States since 2021, writes CBS News.

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Svetlana Demidenko, 53, and her daughter, Yelizaveta Demidenko, 22, are facing federal charges in West Palm Beach after investigators say they illegally cast ballots during early voting in Palm Beach on Oct. 31, 2024.

Neither woman is a U.S. citizen, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida said.

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According to a criminal affidavit, both women entered the United States in April 2021 and then registered to vote in August 2024 using a system that requires a person to prove their status as a U.S. citizen.

Although they did not have American citizenship, as federal authorities say, both women voted in the 2024 elections, including the presidential one.

The charges were announced by U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida Hayden P. O'Byrne, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Miami Jose R. Figueroa, and Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Mark Glass.

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The investigation was conducted by the Miami Office of Homeland Security Investigation (HSI) and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement's Elections Division, with assistance from other agencies, including the Palm Beach County Office of Elections, the U.S. Diplomatic Security Service, and the Department of Government Effectiveness (DOGE).

Assistant U.S. Attorney John McMillan is in charge of the prosecution. The investigation is ongoing.

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