Gaye Tyndale-Simpson
Introduction
Gaye Tyndale-Simpson, 55, a resident of Bridgewater, New Jersey, and a citizen of Jamaica who has never been a citizen of the United States, pleaded guilty to one count of voting by an alien in a federal election before U.S. Magistrate Judge Rukhsanah L. Singh in Trenton federal court. U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer announced the plea, which arose from her vote in the November 2024 general election.
Background Information
According to documents filed in the case and statements made in court, Tyndale-Simpson immigrated to the United States from Jamaica and, in November 2024, voted in the general election that was held in part for the purpose of electing a candidate for the office of President. Noncitizens are prohibited from voting in federal elections, and the charge of voting by an alien carries a maximum penalty of up to 6 months in prison and a $100,000 fine.
The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation
Pleaded guilty. Tyndale-Simpson admitted the single count of voting by an alien in a federal election before Magistrate Judge Singh in Trenton.
The plea was brought under the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Election Integrity Task Force, a coalition of federal law enforcement partners focused on preserving and protecting the integrity of elections conducted in the District of New Jersey. Her admission covers one ballot in one election — the November 2024 general election — and the government’s case documents that she was never a U.S. citizen when she cast it. The charge is a misdemeanor-level offense with a six-month statutory maximum, and the plea resolves her admission to it.
Public Reaction and Consequences
The investigation was conducted by the FBI under Special Agent in Charge Stefanie Roddy, Homeland Security Investigations under Special Agent in Charge Michael McCarthy, the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service New York Field Office under Special Agent in Charge Brian Wood, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin D. Bleiberg of the office’s Criminal Division represents the government. Tyndale-Simpson faces up to 6 months’ imprisonment and a $100,000 fine at sentencing.
Current Status
Sentencing is scheduled before Judge Singh on February 24, 2027. Until then, Tyndale-Simpson remains convicted of nothing beyond her own guilty plea to the one count, and the court will determine any sentence based on the advisory guidelines and statutory factors. The case is one of the noncitizen-voting prosecutions the District of New Jersey has announced through its Election Integrity Task Force.
Impact on Their Career/Life
A federal conviction for voting by an alien — even one with a six-month maximum — carries consequences that outlast any sentence, including the collateral immigration consequences that follow a criminal conviction for a noncitizen, which the release does not address. For the 55-year-old Bridgewater resident, the plea converts a single November 2024 ballot into a federal criminal record prosecuted by four federal agencies, and her sentencing in February 2027 will close the case the task force opened.
Sources
- U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of New Jersey, “Alien Admits to Illegally Voting in Federal Election” — source