A Vigo County resident faces felony charges for allegedly registering to vote and casting ballots in multiple Indiana elections despite being ineligible, Attorney General Todd Rokita announced on Thursday. The charges against Francisco Aguilar Romero include fraudulent voter registration, perjury, and voting by an ineligible person, according to a statement from Rokita’s office. This case represents a significant development, as the attorney general’s office confirmed it is the first time Indiana has prosecuted a noncitizen for illegal voting.
State records indicate that Romero cast ballots in six separate Vigo County elections between 2018 and 2024. These elections reportedly include the 2020 general election and the 2024 general election. The charging documents specify that Romero was born in Mexico and holds Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status. Further records show that Romero initially registered to vote in February 2018 and subsequently updated or reverified his registration in August 2023.
Attorney General Rokita stated that these charges are the outcome of a multiyear effort by his office. This initiative aimed to identify potential noncitizen voters within the state by utilizing federal citizenship verification data. The path to obtaining this data involved legal action; Rokita’s office sued the federal government in April 2025. This lawsuit followed an earlier denial of a request for voter citizenship information. A settlement reached in December 2025 ultimately provided the state attorney general’s office with access to these crucial federal databases.
The information derived from these federal databases proved instrumental in the investigation. Rokita’s office reported that the data identified at least 21 noncitizens who had cast votes in Indiana elections. Additionally, the same data revealed nearly 150 other individuals who were registered to vote but had not yet cast ballots, all identified as noncitizens.
Vigo County Prosecutor Terry Modesitt commented on the case, expressing appreciation for the collaboration between his office and the attorney general's office. Modesitt emphasized the importance of this partnership in ensuring the enforcement of Indiana's election laws. If convicted on the charges, Romero faces a substantial maximum sentence of 11.5 years in prison. The ongoing investigation and legal proceedings underscore the state’s focus on the integrity of its electoral process.
