Federal prosecutors have charged an Iraqi citizen with illegally voting in the 2020 election.
Akeel Abdul Jamiel, a 45-year-old man in New York, voted in the November 2020 election in Saratoga County despite not being a U.S. citizen. The charge against Jamiel involves a maximum of 1 year in prison and a fine up to $100,000.
United States Attorney John Sarcone said in a statement, “As alleged, Jamiel’s voting in the 2020 election was a callous and illegal act. We will continue to investigate and prosecute illegal schemes aimed at corrupting the election process.”
FBI Special Agent in Charge Craig L. Tremaroli said election security “is and will continue to be one of the FBI’s highest national security priorities. Americans have a right to expect free and fair elections and the FBI is committed to working with our partners to seek justice for anyone trying to interfere with the democratic process.”
The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) assisted in the investigation.
Jamiel wrote in an email to the Times Union that he has been outside of the United States for “a long long time.”
“Someone probably using my social security (number) and identity to do crimes,” he wrote. “Can you tell me how I voted illegal and for who? If I voted it would be that they sent me a ballot. I have left the United States for years now.”
Saratoga County’s Democratic Board of Elections Commissioner Cassandra Bagramian said Jamiel appears to have completed a voter registration form.
Bagramian explained that the form is “an ‘honor system,'” saying the “voter signs an oath, so if it’s properly completed, it’s processed.”
The charge comes as Republicans have pushed for stronger election integrity measures. Last month, President Donald Trump signed an executive order called “Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections” that says the United States “fails to enforce basic and necessary election protections employed by modern, developed nations, as well as those still developing.”
The order banned foreign citizens from interfering in U.S. elections by requiring proof of U.S. citizenship on voter registration forms.
U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly has since blocked a portion of Trump’s order.
