Noncitizen charged with illegal voting in Hawaii, said her uncle pressured her to cast ballot

by Stephen Dinan, The Washington Times, Saturday, July 25, 2026

A 19-year-old woman has been charged with illegally voting as a noncitizen in the 2024 election.

Bernadette Acaso, a legal immigrant from the Philippines, told investigators she felt pressured by her uncle, who told her she had to vote and for a particular candidate.

Authorities didn’t say who that candidate was, according to court documents detailing the case.

She cast her ballot by mail.

Ms. Acaso suggested she was susceptible to pressure because the uncle was the one who filed the petition for her family to immigrate to the U.S. She came in 2018 and holds a green card, signifying lawful permanent status.

But an FBI special agent, in an affidavit to the court, said Ms. Acaso wasn’t physically threatened and mailed the ballot “of her own free will.”

Ms. Acaso also stated that when she voted, “she believed [legal permanent residents] could vote and, therefore, did not realize what she was doing was illegal,” the agent, Benjamin Sexton, said.

He said the Maui County clerk referred the case to the FBI. The case was unsealed Friday.

It’s illegal for noncitizens to vote in elections for national office.

Ms. Acaso’s case comes amid increasing attention to the issue of noncitizen voting.

President Trump earlier this month called noncitizen voting a vulnerability in America’s election system.

His Homeland Security Department said it ran names from voter lists of four states — California, Nevada, Pennsylvania and New Jersey — through its databases and found a quarter of a million potential noncitizens on their rolls.

Days after the president’s claims, New Jersey Democratic Gov. Mikie Sherrill admitted that her state registered 6,600 noncitizens through what she described as a software glitch from the motor vehicle bureau. Green card holders who checked the box saying they weren’t citizens were somehow still added to the rolls between June 2023 and June 2024, she said.

She suggested nearly 400 of them even cast ballots.

In Hawaii, Ms. Acaso’s case is the second this summer involving a Filipino.

In June, federal prosecutors charged Remedius Alasaas with illegal voting after she cast ballots in 2022 and 2024.

LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bernadette-acaso-7609aa332/

List of Uncles: Luisa Amorio Obituary - Wailuku, HI

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Filipino National Charged with Unlawfully Voting as an Alien

News Release from U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Hawaii, Friday, July 24, 2026

HONOLULU – United States Attorney Ken Sorenson announced that Bernadette Acaso, 19, a Filipino national residing in Honolulu, Oahu and Kahului, Maui, was charged by criminal complaint on July 22, 2026, with unlawfully voting as an alien.

According to court records, Acaso was born in the Philippines and came to the United States in or around 2018 on an immigrant visa and became a Lawful Permanent Resident.  Acaso cast a mail-in ballot in the 2024 general election.  Acaso admitted in a statement to law enforcement that she understood she was not a United States citizen at the time she voted.

If convicted, Acaso faces up to one year in prison, plus a term of supervised release.  Acaso also faces a fine of up to $100,000.

The charge in the criminal complaint is merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.  In the case of conviction, any sentence would be imposed by a United States District Judge based on the statutory sentencing factors and the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines.

The FBI and Homeland Security Investigations are investigating the case.

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Heidi Turner is prosecuting the case.

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Filipino National Charged with Unlawfully Voting as an Alien

News Release from U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Hawaii, Monday, June 1, 2026 

HONOLULU – United States Attorney Ken Sorenson announced that Remedios Alasaas, 66, of Kahului, Maui, was charged today, June 1, 2026, by Information, with unlawfully voting as an alien.

Alasaas came to the United States in or around 2014 on an immigrant visa and registered to vote soon thereafter.  According to court records, Alasaas was a non-citizen when she cast votes in two Federal elections: first, in a general election on or about November 8, 2022, and then in a primary election on or about August 10, 2024.  On both occasions, Alasaas understood that she was not a citizen at the time that she cast her ballot.

If convicted, Alasaas faces up to one year in prison for each charge, plus a term of supervised release.  Alasaas also faces a fine of up to $100,000.

“The right of the people to vote in Federal elections belongs solely to American citizens,” said U.S. Attorney Ken Sorenson.  “When non-citizens defraud the democratic process by voting, they undermine the integrity and credibility of our elections.  This Office will vigorously investigate and prosecute all instances of voter fraud.”

“The right to vote in Federal elections is a cornerstone of our democracy, and secured for U.S. citizens,” said FBI Honolulu Special Agent in Charge David Porter.  “The FBI will continue its work to ensure the integrity of our elections and hold accountable anyone who undermines the fairness of our democracy by engaging in voter fraud.”

The charges in the Information are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.  In the case of conviction, any sentence would be imposed by the court based on statutory sentencing factors and the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines.

The FBI is investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregg Paris Yates is prosecuting the case.

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