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West New York Woman Charged With Illegal Voting
A West New York woman is facing federal criminal charges after authorities said she voted in two federal elections before becoming a U.S. citizen and lied on her naturalization application.
Federal prosecutors charged Lizabeth Almonte Rosa, 24, of West New York, with voting by an alien in a federal election and unlawfully procuring citizenship.
The case surfaces as local officials review regional voter registration system errors tied to Motor Vehicle Commission records. Public records obtained by HudPost show election staff are reviewing over 170 rejected or deleted voter files across county municipalities.
“We do not have an actual number of how many Hudson County registrations were affected by the system error,” the Hudson County Public Records Center stated in an Oct. 1 response.
According to court records, Almonte Rosa entered the country from the Dominican Republic on an IR2 visa. Authorities said she falsely certified U.S. citizenship on her voter registration form while still a non-citizen. She then voted in person during the June 2022 primary election and the November 2022 general election.
After casting those ballots, Almonte Rosa submitted an N-400 application for naturalization. Federal officials said she falsely swore under penalty of perjury that she had never registered to vote or cast a ballot in any federal election.
U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer announced the charges through the District of New Jersey Election Integrity Task Force, describing it as a “coalition of federal law enforcement partners focused on preserving and protecting the integrity of elections conducted in the District of New Jersey.” Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin D. Bleiberg is prosecuting the case.
The illegal voting count carries a maximum sentence of one year in prison and a $100,000 fine. The charge of unlawfully procuring citizenship carries up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Almonte Rosa made her initial court appearance on Oct. 7, 2026, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Stacey D. Adams in Newark federal court.
