Illegal Immigrant Arrested For Voting In Grayslake
GRAYSLAKE, Ill. (CBS) -- Immigration officials have arrested an illegal immigrant from the Philippines living in Grayslake on vote fraud charges.
As WBBM Newsradio 780's Nancy Harty reports, Maria Azada, 53, allegedly admitted to immigration officials in February 2009 that she had voted in an election.
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An investigation began, and revealed that Azada voted nine times in primary, general and consolidated elections between 2003 and 2009, according to a release from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. According to the arrest warrant, she falsely claimed to be a U.S. citizen on two Illinois voter registration applications.
Azada now faces 17 felony counts of perjury, mutilation of election materials and tampering with voting machines in connection with illegal voting by a non-U.S. citizen, the release said.
If convicted, Azada faces up to five years in state prison on each of two perjury counts, up to three years on each of the six counts of tampering and nine counts of mutilation of election materials, the release said. She also faces deportation.
Gary Hartwig, special agent in charge of ICE Homeland Security Investigations in Chicago, says the agency will "aggressively investigate and bring to justice anyone who falsely claims to be a U.S. citizen so they can illegally vote."
The Lake County News-Sun contributed to this report, via the Sun-Times Media Wire
