Gainesville man charged in federal election fraud case

Federal authorities charged Benito Covarrubias Iniguez, 64, with making a false claim of U.S. citizenship to vote in a federal election. The indictment marks his inclusion among 63 individuals nationwide facing criminal charges for alleged election-related offenses. U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg announced the local charge on Monday, noting that Iniguez is the fourth non-citizen accused of voting in federal contests in the Northern District of Georgia since September.

Iniguez, a Mexican national, appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Anna W. Howard in Gainesville on Monday. Federal agents arrested him earlier that day following a criminal complaint filed on October 16. The case involves a fraudulent passport obtained under the name of a U.S. citizen born in Puerto Rico. Investigators stated that Iniguez used this documentation to secure a Georgia driver’s license, register to vote, and cast a ballot in the November 5, 2024, general election.

According to court filings, Iniguez entered the United States from Mexico in 2000. He is charged with using the false passport to establish his identity and eligibility for the federal election. The prosecution is handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Pearce. The case remains under active investigation by the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, specifically its Miami Field Office.

U.S. Attorney Hertzberg stated that the actions of non-citizens impersonating Americans undermine the integrity of the democratic process. "This case and the many others brought in this district and around the country reinforce that non-citizens who vote in federal elections will be found, arrested, and prosecuted," Hertzberg said. Ryan McSeveney, the special agent in charge of the Diplomatic Security Service Miami Field Office, added that the agency will continue investigating passport fraud and false citizenship claims across the Southeast.

The local charge is part of a broader federal initiative announced by the Department of Justice. Attorney General Todd Blanche described the announcement as the largest surge of voter-fraud arrests since President Trump returned to office. The Department of Justice reported that federal authorities charged 195 individuals across 25 states with illegal voting and registration violations over the last nine weeks. Since the start of the current administration, prosecutors have charged a total of 239 people with election fraud-related crimes.

Iniguez joins three other recent defendants in the Northern District of Georgia. Pauline Lewis, 65, of Dawsonville, appeared in court on September 18 after allegedly voting by absentee ballot in 2020, 2021, and 2024. She is a citizen of Antigua and Barbuda who entered the country on a student visa in 1979. Gabriel Covarrubias, 44, of Lawrenceville, was charged on September 1 with voting in person in November 2024 using a false Puerto Rican identity on a 2023 passport application. Analiea Milliscent Eccles, 43, of Morrow, appeared in court on September 14 for allegedly voting nine times between 2008 and 2024. She is a Venezuelan citizen under DACA status.

The prosecutions stem from the Homeland Security Task Force established under Executive Order 14159. Federal authorities have not released specific polling locations or target ballot details for all 63 defendants listed in the national announcement. Officials have also not disclosed whether any additional co-conspirators face pending sealed indictments. The Department of Justice detailed the nationwide indictments in a federal announcement, which served as the primary source for the information in this report.