A federal grand jury in North Carolina has indicted a Canadian national for allegedly voting illegally in U.S. elections for more than two decades, including in the 2022 and 2024 cycles.
Denis Bouchard, 69, a longtime resident of the Wilmington area, is accused of falsely claiming U.S. citizenship to cast ballots in multiple federal, state, and local elections.
According to prosecutors, his illegal voting stretches back at least 20 years in New Hanover and Pender counties.
In a statement, U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle said:
“Every single time a noncitizen casts an illegal vote in North Carolina, it steals and nullifies the vote of an actual citizen.
“If the records are correct, this Canadian citizen appears to have voted in New Hanover and Pender County elections over the past 20 years.
“We intend to prove his illegal conduct in court and put an end to it.”
The indictment charges Bouchard with four felony counts of making false statements and violating federal election law.
If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison on each count.
James C. Barnacle Jr., the FBI’s Special Agent in Charge in North Carolina, said:
“Every American deserves to exercise their right to vote without interference in the democratic process.
“We appreciate the North Carolina Board of Elections’ partnership and commitment to working together to ensure fair elections in our state.”
Prosecutors said Bouchard has lived in the United States since the 1960s, arriving as a child.
However, he never obtained American citizenship.
When asked why Bouchard was not charged for older instances of illegal voting, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office explained that federal felonies are subject to a five-year statute of limitations.
The indictment is part of the Trump administration’s broader effort to prosecute foreign nationals accused of voting unlawfully.
In April, prosecutors charged two Ukrainian nationals with voting in the 2024 election.
That same month, an Iraqi man was charged with voting in the 2020 presidential race.
In May, a Colombian immigrant was accused of decades-long voter fraud and stealing roughly $400,000 in federal benefits.
Michigan officials also charged a Chinese student with casting a ballot in 2024 before he fled the country.
Since taking office in July, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Joe Edlow has expanded efforts to help states identify and remove noncitizens from voter rolls.
President Trump signed an executive order in March directing the Department of Homeland Security to provide the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) database to states free of charge.
SAVE allows officials to check immigration or citizenship status against federal records.
In May, the administration expanded the system by partnering with the Social Security Administration, allowing state and local election officials to verify citizenship status using Social Security numbers.
Officials say the move has significantly improved voter roll integrity checks.
The case comes as North Carolina prepares for a high-stakes Senate race in 2026 to replace retiring Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC).
The Cook Political Report has already rated the race a toss-up, underscoring the state’s competitive political landscape.
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