Antonio Mitchell

Introduction

Antonio Mitchell is a 54-year-old Jamaican national and lawful permanent resident of Paterson, New Jersey, who federal authorities arrested on October 28, 2026, for illegally voting in United States elections and then lying about it during his pursuit of citizenship. According to a criminal complaint filed in New Jersey federal court, Mitchell registered to vote in 2012 while falsely certifying he was a U.S. citizen, cast an in-person ballot in the November 2022 general election, and later denied — repeatedly, including under oath — that he had ever registered or voted. He is charged with voting by an alien in a federal election, unlawfully attempting to procure citizenship, and false statements in relation to naturalization.

Background Information

Mitchell emigrated to the United States from Jamaica in 1980 on a B-2 visitor visa, according to charging documents cited by NJ.com, and has lived in the country for decades as a legal permanent resident — a status that permits living and working in the U.S. but not voting in elections. He registered to vote in New Jersey in 2012, swearing on the form that he was a U.S. citizen. ICE reports Mitchell has prior arrests for burglary, resisting arrest and possession of marijuana for sale.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

Charged, not convicted. Antonio Mitchell faces three federal counts filed by criminal complaint in the District of New Jersey. The complaints and the government’s account of the evidence are accusations: he is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty, no indictment has been returned, and no plea has been reported. He was represented at his initial appearance by federal public defender Patrick McMahon, and his criminal defense lawyer did not immediately return a request for comment from the New York Post.

Per the complaint, Mitchell registered to vote in New Jersey in 2012 while falsely certifying U.S. citizenship, then voted in person on November 8, 2022, in the general election for the House of Representatives — a ballot federal law reserves for citizens. ICE alleges the illegal voting stretched across a 22-year span, from 2000 to 2022, spanning multiple federal primary and general elections. In January 2025, Mitchell applied for U.S. citizenship on Form N-400, checking “No” to the question of whether he had ever registered to vote or voted in any U.S. election — and, per the court papers, repeated the denial under oath during interviews with immigration officers on September 24, 2025, and again on March 25, 2026. Those statements triggered a joint investigation by Homeland Security Investigations, the FBI and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

Mitchell was arrested October 28 and made his initial appearance the same day before U.S. Magistrate Judge Leda Dunn Wettre in Newark; he has since posted a $25,000 bond. The counts carry steep potential exposure: up to one year in prison and a $100,000 fine for voting by an alien, up to 10 years and $250,000 for unlawfully attempting to procure citizenship, and up to five years and $250,000 for the false-statement count — a combined maximum of 16 years and $600,000 in fines if convicted on all three. Mitchell was charged the same day as Andrea Morzetta, 72, an Italian national from North Haledon facing the illegal-voting and attempted-procurement counts in his own complaint; the two cases were announced together but describe different voting histories and different paths into the country.

Public Reaction and Consequences

The announcement landed on Election Day 2026, as voters went to the polls in the midterms — a piece of timing ICE did not miss. “Voting in American elections is a right reserved for eligible voters,” said ICE Assistant Director of Public Affairs Micah Bock. “Those who knowingly violate federal election laws should understand that their actions carry serious consequences. ICE cannot ignore suspected federal crimes simply because they involve elections. The law applies to everyone, and we intend to enforce it.” The New York Post noted the arrest announcement came a week after federal authorities touted more than 400 arrests in a non-citizen voter-fraud sweep. The New Jersey Division of Elections declined PIX11’s request for comment, citing the active law-enforcement investigation.

Current Status

As of November 3, 2026, Mitchell is charged by complaint in the District of New Jersey, has appeared before Magistrate Judge Wettre, and is out of custody on a $25,000 bond. The case remains at the complaint stage — no indictment, no arraignment date reported, no plea entered — and the charges are unadjudicated. The prosecution sits within the U.S. Attorney’s Office Election Integrity Task Force, with Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mark McCarren and Michael K. O’Leary of the Special Prosecutions Division representing the government; the FBI, HSI and USCIS are credited with the investigation.

Impact on Their Career/Life

The charges transformed a two-decade voting record that federal prosecutors call illegal into the stated reason Mitchell’s own citizenship bid collapsed: the false-statement count is built directly on the N-400 application and the sworn interviews meant to earn him naturalization. For a lawful permanent resident, felony-adjacent federal charges carry potential immigration consequences beyond the criminal case, though no removal action has been announced. Mitchell’s case joined a string of New Jersey non-citizen voting prosecutions — a Bridgewater woman pleaded guilty earlier in October 2026, and four defendants were charged in April — as the Election Integrity Task Force’s caseload grows.

Sources

*NY Post, “Jamaican man illegally voted in US elections for 22 years: feds,” November 3, 2026 — source
*NY Post (@nypost) post on X, November 3, 2026 — source
*ICE, “ICE HSI New Jersey arrests Jamaican national accused of voting illegally over 22-year span,” November 3, 2026 — source
*U.S. Department of Justice, District of New Jersey, “Aliens Charged with Illegally Voting in Federal Elections, Unlawfully Attempting to Procure Citizenship, and Making False Statements while Applying for U.S. Citizenship,” October 2026 — source
*Paterson Times, “Paterson man charged with illegally voting in 2022 federal election,” October 30, 2026 — source
*NJ.com, “2 more non-citizens charged after voting in U.S. elections, feds say,” October 2026 — source
*PIX11, “ICE arrests NJ resident accused of voting illegally for 22 years,” November 3, 2026 — source