A noncitizen illegally present in the U.S. allegedly cast ballots in five presidential elections and falsely claimed to be a citizen when registering to vote, according to a document recently filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
An affidavit by FBI Special Agent Mickel McGann reveals that Mauritanian national Mahady Sacko was ordered to be deported in 2000. Since this removal order, however, records show Sacko voted in general elections in 2008, 2012, 2016, and 2020, as well as the 2024 election for federal office, McGann said. Sacko also voted in the 2016 and 2020 primaries and, on each of the seven occasions, “falsely represented that he was a U.S. citizen,” according to the affidavit.
McGann detailed records suggesting that Sacko illegally registered to vote multiple times in Pennsylvania, despite his noncitizen status. In 2006, 2012, and 2016, for example, Sacko appears to have registered via a “voter registration drive.” In 2008, 2016, and 2019, he allegedly registered to vote through the state’s Department of Transportation. In 2006, 2012, 2016, and 2020, he “falsely” identified himself as a U.S. Citizen on “registration application[s],” according to the affidavit. Sacko also registered to vote in October 2020 and “prior to the 2024 election,” according to the affidavit. A report by the Philadelphia Inquirer stated, “Voting records show that Sacko registered as a Democrat, though the affidavit does not specify which candidates he supported in the elections” he allegedly voted in.
McGann said he compared all the signatures for “Mahady Sacko” on the voter registration records pictured in the affidavit, concluding that they “appear consistent.” He also concluded there is “probable cause” to believe that Sacko violated federal law.
United States law stipulates that “any person who ‘knowingly and willfully deprives, defrauds, or attempts to deprive or defraud the residents of a State of a fair and impartially conducted election process, by . . . casting ballots that are known by the person to be materially false, fictitious, or fraudulent under the laws of the State in which the election is held’ shall be fined or imprisoned not more than 5 years, or both,” the affidavit stated.
The affidavit accompanies a criminal complaint against Sacko in which the United States accuses him of fraudulent voting, specifically during the 2024 election. The criminal complaint does not seem to address the other allegations outlined in the affidavit.
McGann also detailed Sacko’s run-ins with immigration enforcement after a judge ordered his removal back to Mauritania in 2000. (Although this order was appealed, it was affirmed in 2002.)
Sacko was arrested in Philadelphia by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE/ERO) in 2007, according to the affidavit. However, because Sacko did not have a proper passport for the journey, ICE was “unable to enforce” the removal order. Since 2011, “under the terms of his alien immigration supervision,” Sacko has reported to ICE/ERO 19 times.
In recent months, countless noncitizens have been accused of exploiting legal loopholes to illegally register and vote in American elections. News of the complaint and allegations against Sacko comes as the U.S. Senate considers the SAVE America Act, which would require documentary proof of citizenship when registering to vote, as well as voter ID when casting ballots in federal elections.
Although such requirements are wildly popular, some GOP senators can’t seem to get behind the common-sense legislation or efforts to exhaust all options in the interest of safeguarding elections. Others, like Mike Lee from Utah, recognize that “Americans deserve nothing less.”
