Danubis Bernat

Introduction

Danubis Bernat is a 49-year-old Venezuelan national residing in South Amboy, New Jersey, who was charged in federal court with illegally voting in a United States election and with making false statements on her citizenship application. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey, her case was announced alongside that of Patrick Terrance Reid, a co-announced defendant charged in a separate complaint. The announcement by U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer drew attention to the office’s Election Integrity Task Force and its stated focus on preserving the integrity of elections in New Jersey.

Background Information

According to the criminal complaint, Bernat entered the United States from Venezuela on a B-2 tourist visa and did not hold United States citizenship. Prosecutors allege that while living in South Amboy, in Middlesex County, she completed a voter registration form on which she falsely certified and attested that she was a United States citizen. As the complaint notes, citizenship is a prerequisite under federal law both to register to vote and to cast a ballot in a federal election, making her alleged registration and later ballot the basis of the voting charge.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

Charged, not convicted. Prosecutors allege that Bernat, a non-citizen, cast a ballot in the 2024 general election and later denied voting on her citizenship application; the allegations are unproven.

According to documents filed in the case and statements made in court, Bernat voted in person in the 2024 general election, a contest that included candidates vying for federal offices. At the time she cast her ballot, prosecutors allege, she was not a United States citizen and was therefore not authorized to vote in federal elections. Afterward, she applied to become a citizen by submitting an N-400 naturalization application, a form that requires applicants to swear under penalty of perjury that the information provided is complete, true, and correct. In that application, according to the complaint, Bernat falsely claimed that she had never registered to vote or voted in any federal elections. The voting-by-an-alien count carries a maximum sentence of one year’s imprisonment and a fine of up to $100,000, while the false-statement count carries a maximum of ten years’ imprisonment and a fine of up to $250,000.

Public Reaction and Consequences

The case was announced by U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer as part of the United States Attorney’s Office’s Election Integrity Task Force, described as a coalition of federal law enforcement partners focused on preserving and protecting the integrity of elections conducted in the District of New Jersey. Frazer credited special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Stefanie Roddy; Homeland Security Investigations, under Special Agent in Charge Michael McCarthy; and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services with the investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mark McCarren and Joseph McFarlane, of the office’s Special Prosecutions Division, are representing the government. The joint announcement alongside a co-announced defendant reflected the task force’s coordinated approach to election-related prosecutions.

Current Status

Bernat had her initial appearance on September 24, 2026, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Tonianne J. Bongiovanni in federal court in Trenton. Her case, which began with criminal complaints rather than a trial verdict, remains at an early stage, and no finding of guilt has been entered against her. The U.S. Attorney’s Office stated in its announcement: “The charges and allegations contained in the complaints are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.” The announcement did not indicate a date for further proceedings.

Impact on Their Career/Life

The charges expose Bernat to substantial potential penalties if she were ultimately convicted, including up to one year’s imprisonment on the voting count and up to ten years on the false-statement count, with fines reaching into the six figures. Because she was, according to the complaint, still without United States citizenship at the time of the charges, the case also bears directly on her status as a Venezuelan national and on the naturalization application she had submitted. She must now answer the allegations in federal court in New Jersey.

Sources

• U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of New Jersey, “Aliens Charged with Illegally Voting in Federal Election and Making False Statements While Applying for U.S. Citizenship” — source