Special to the News
Wes Allen, Alabama’s secretary of state, announced on Tuesday that his office assisted the U.S. Department of State, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, the Franklin County District Attorney’s Office, the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, and the Russellville Police Department with an investigation that led to the arrest of three individuals for identity theft. The three individuals are also not American citizens.
The arrests of Teresa Martin Pascual, Maria Juan Pascual and Luis Balderman occurred on March 15. The three individuals are not qualified to vote, are not American citizens and had no right to participate in Alabama’s elections.
According to the indictment, they each used identification that was not their own to register to vote and vote in the names of identity theft victims.
“I am incredibly appreciative of the efforts of the law enforcement agencies who worked together to indict and apprehend these three individuals,” Secretary Allen said. “My office will always assist law enforcement in every way possible to seek convictions of individuals who attempt to illegally vote in our elections. We will not tolerate a single illegal voter attempting to participate in our elections.”
Alabama law requires that registered voters must be legal American citizens.
Wes Allen serves as Alabama’s fifty-fourth secretary of state and was sworn into office on January 16, 2023.
