MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Two foreign nationals have been indicted on federal charges accusing them of voting illegally in elections in West Tennessee, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee announced on Monday. U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant announced the unsealing of the indictments.
One indictment charges Cesar Sanchez Correa, 44, a citizen of Mexico, with voting in Haywood County in the 2024 election. Prosecutors allege he falsely and willfully claimed to be a U.S. citizen on a Tennessee voter registration application. He faces one count of unlawful voting by an alien under federal law, 18 U.S.C. § 611.
A separate indictment charges Andreas Van Der Werf, 62, a citizen of Germany, with voting in Fayette County in both the 2022 and 2024 elections. Prosecutors allege he also falsely represented himself as a U.S. citizen on a voter registration application. He is charged with two counts of unlawful voting by an alien. Both elections included federal races, and the 2024 ballot included president, vice president and members of Congress.
Federal law restricts voting in elections featuring candidates for president, vice president, the U.S. Senate or the U.S. House of Representatives to U.S. citizens. “The law is clear: Only American citizens may vote in American elections,” Dunavant said. “Illegal voting is a crime and will be aggressively prosecuted by the Department of Justice to protect the integrity of the election process.”
Dennis M. Fetting, the special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Nashville, said his agency takes election integrity seriously and will keep investigating alleged violations of federal election laws with its partners. The cases were investigated by the FBI and Homeland Security Investigations, with help from the Tennessee Secretary of State’s Office. Assistant U.S. attorneys in the Western District’s Special Prosecutions Unit will prosecute them.
Several details were not in the announcement. As reported by FOX13 in Memphis, the Justice Department release did not say when the men were indicted, whether they have appeared in court or whether trial dates have been set. Prosecutors also did not allege that the two defendants acted together or that their conduct changed the outcome of any election.
An indictment is an accusation, not a finding of guilt. Both men are presumed innocent unless and until they are proven guilty in court. The announcement came the day before Election Day.