United States Attorney Ken Sorenson announced that Bernadette Acaso, 20, a Filipino national residing in Honolulu, Oʻahu and Kahului, Maui, pleaded guilty on Sept. 18, 2026, to unlawfully voting as an alien.

As admitted in the plea agreement, Acaso was born in the Philippines and came to the United States in or around September 2018 on an immigrant visa and became a Lawful Permanent Resident. Despite not being a US citizen, Acaso voted in the 2024 election by casting a mail-in ballot. Acaso admitted she understood she was not a United States citizen and was therefore not eligible to vote in US elections at the time she voted.

“Voting is a sacred right of United States citizens. When citizens of other countries exploit voting processes to vote in our elections, the collective power of Americans to choose their leaders is badly compromised. Unlawful voting by non-citizens violates federal law and threatens the integrity of our elections,” said US Attorney Ken Sorenson. “We will continue to vigorously enforce laws that seek to preserve the integrity of our elections and ensure that those who disregard them are held accountable.”

“Participation in Federal elections is fundamental to our democracy and reserved for US citizens,” said FBI Honolulu Special Agent in Charge David Porter. “The FBI remains committed to safeguarding the integrity of the electoral process and ensuring that anyone who attempts to compromise it through voter fraud is held responsible.”

“Protecting the integrity of our nation’s elections is essential to maintaining public trust in our democratic process,” said CJ Ammons, HSI Honolulu Acting Special Agent in Charge. “HSI will continue to work alongside our federal partners to investigate violations of election laws and ensure those who unlawfully exploit the system are held accountable.”

Acaso faces up to one year in prison, a term of supervised release, and a fine of up to $100,000.

The FBI and Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case.
Special Assistant US Attorney Heidi Turner is prosecuting the case.