A Laredo man is one of five noncitizens charged in federal court in connection with voting investigations across Texas, the United States Attorney's Office said. Diego Benavides Rodriguez, 29, a Mexican citizen living in Laredo, is accused of falsely claiming to be a U.S. citizen and casting a ballot in the 2024 federal election.
Four other noncitizens, from Trinidad and Tobago, Nigeria and Mexico, were also charged. Their cases were filed in Houston, Brownsville and McAllen. Investigators said none of the five were U.S. citizens or legally allowed to vote.
If convicted, Rodriguez and another defendant accused of making false statements on immigration documents each face up to five years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine, according to the report.