Eduardo Gallardo Maldonado

Introduction

Eduardo Gallardo Maldonado is a 66-year-old Mexican citizen and lawful permanent resident of the United States who has been residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. A Justice Department release issued on October 28, 2026, announced that he pleaded guilty before United States Magistrate Judge Elizabeth L. Toplin to one count of voting as an alien — illegally casting a ballot in Philadelphia County in the November 2024 general election despite not being a United States citizen. He was charged by information the month before the plea and, with it, waived prosecution by indictment. He is scheduled to be sentenced on February 9, 2027, and faces up to one year of imprisonment.

Background Information

Lawful permanent residents may live and work in the United States but may not vote in federal or state elections; only U.S. citizens may do so. Maldonado, per the release, registered and voted in Philadelphia County in the November 2024 general election, which featured the presidential contest, while holding a green card rather than citizenship. The offense of voting as an alien carries a maximum of one year of imprisonment, one year of supervised release, and a $100,000 fine. His case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the FBI.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

Pleaded guilty; sentencing pending. Eduardo Gallardo Maldonado pleaded guilty to one count of voting as an alien for casting a ballot in the November 2024 general election; sentencing is set for February 9, 2027.

The conduct Maldonado admitted is set out in court filings and statements described in the release: he illegally voted in Philadelphia County in the November 2024 general election, even though he was not a United States citizen. Prosecutors charged him by information — a charging document filed with the defendant’s consent — in the month before the plea, and by pleading guilty he waived prosecution by indictment, resolving the case on the information alone. The plea was entered before Magistrate Judge Toplin in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

United States Attorney David Metcalf announced the guilty plea. The release does not state how Maldonado came to be registered, whether he voted in any earlier elections, or any statement from him; what it documents is a single admitted noncitizen ballot in the 2024 general election, prosecuted by the federal government and admitted in full.

Public Reaction and Consequences

The documented response is institutional: the announcement by U.S. Attorney Metcalf’s office, the joint HSI and FBI investigation that produced the case, and the guilty plea itself. Because Maldonado is a lawful permanent resident, a conviction for voting as an alien places his immigration status in jeopardy — the release does not state what removal consequences may follow, but a crime involving fraud or deceit affecting the immigration process is among the categories that can trigger deportation for a green-card holder. His sentencing on February 9, 2027, will set the criminal term; the release caps the exposure at one year of imprisonment, one year of supervised release and a $100,000 fine.

Current Status

Maldonado has pleaded guilty and awaits sentencing on February 9, 2027, before the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. The count to which he pleaded — voting as an alien — is a one-year-maximum offense, and he has admitted the conduct in open court, so the only open question at sentencing is the term. The release does not mention an immigration detainer, any change to his permanent-resident status, or an appeal. His case is the second recent federal prosecution in the region’s courts for illegal voting in the November 2024 election, following the Maryland case of Mohammad Hachibur Rahman, who was charged by information the same month for unlawful voting in that election.

Impact on Their Career/Life

At 66, after a life as a lawful permanent resident, Maldonado’s single admitted ballot in November 2024 has produced a federal conviction record, a sentencing hearing, and a guilty plea that he waived indictment to enter. For a green-card holder, a criminal conviction for an offense of this kind can unwind decades of lawful residence — the release does not state any removal proceeding, but the plea itself is the documented fact on which any such consequence would rest. His name now sits in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania’s record as the Philadelphia man who voted as an alien in the 2024 general election and admitted it.

Sources

• U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, “Alien Pleads Guilty to Illegally Voting in 2024 General Election” — source