FORT MYERS, Fla. - A 75-year-old Canadian woman living illegally in Florida faces up to three years in federal prison after being charged with voting in three federal elections, according to the Department of Justice.
Canadian woman charged
What we know:
Christiane Vinette Young, a Canadian national illegally present in the United States, was charged by information with three counts of voting by an alien, according to U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe.
Federal prosecutors said Young voted in the 2024 general election, the 2022 general election, and the 2022 primary election in Fort Myers despite knowing she was not a U.S. citizen. Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case with help from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Lee County Supervisor of Elections, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin S. Winter is prosecuting it.
Federal voter status
What we don't know:
Officials have not publicly disclosed how Young obtained ballots or how authorities first discovered that a non-citizen had registered or voted in Lee County.
Penalties and legal process
What's next:
Young faces a maximum penalty of three years in federal prison if convicted on all three counts. Court dates for her initial appearance and upcoming legal proceedings have not yet been announced.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe, who announced the federal charges in a news release.