Federal prosecutors have charged 18 North Carolina residents with voting illegally in the 2024 election, the Department of Justice announced Thursday, Oct. 29.

Six of the defendants live in the Charlotte area, according to Queen City News. Two are Charlotte residents: Michael Agah, 74, a Nigerian national and lawful permanent U.S. resident, and Edread Ray Stanley, 63, a national of St. Kitts and Nevis and lawful permanent U.S. resident.

Most of the defendants are accused of falsely claiming U.S. citizenship to register and then casting ballots. Some face only the charge of voting as a noncitizen.

The charges add to 12 people previously indicted in the Eastern District of North Carolina, bringing the statewide total to 30 this year.

Nine of the 18 were charged in the Eastern District, five in the Middle District and four in the Western District, according to ABC 11.

Three of the four Western District defendants were indicted by a federal grand jury in Charlotte. Agah is charged with voting by a noncitizen and making a false claim to U.S. citizenship to vote. The indictment alleges he falsely stated he was a U.S. citizen on an Authorization to Vote Form and then voted on Nov. 5, 2024, according to WPTF.

Stanley was charged by a criminal bill of information with voting by a noncitizen. He allegedly voted on Nov. 5, 2024, knowing he was not a U.S. citizen.

Other Charlotte-area defendants include Luis Alberto DeJesus, 50, a Dominican national and lawful permanent resident in Conover; Juan Florencio Ramos, a Cuban citizen and lawful permanent resident in Salisbury; and Yamila Avalos, an Argentinian national and lawful permanent resident in Concord. Avalos was charged only with voting by a noncitizen.

Acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter said in a statement that the prosecutions aim to protect election integrity. "If you're not an American citizen, you cannot vote in our federal elections," McCotter said.

Special Agent in Charge Reid Davis of the FBI Charlotte Field Office said the bureau assigns dedicated election crimes coordinators to every field office. "Any violation erodes public trust and dilutes valid votes," Davis said, according to ABC 11.

Falsely claiming U.S. citizenship to register or vote carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Voting as a noncitizen carries a maximum penalty of one year in prison and a $100,000 fine. A federal judge would determine any sentence after considering sentencing guidelines.

The charges are allegations. The defendants have not been found guilty.

The FBI and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) are investigating the cases. The U.S. attorneys' offices for the Eastern, Middle and Western districts of North Carolina are handling prosecutions.

WRAL reported that the announcement comes as the Justice Department prepares to send federal election monitors to Mecklenburg County for the Nov. 3 elections. Sam Hayes, who leads the State Board of Elections, told WRAL the investigation began in April but was delayed by litigation over the use of a federal database to cross-check voter and citizenship records. The U.S. Supreme Court allowed use of the database, and state officials moved ahead.

Hayes told WRAL that his office sent more names to the FBI than the 30 charged so far, meaning additional charges are possible.