New York Woman Charged Federally With Illegal Voting As Noncitizen
Marva Cook, a 66-year-old Syracuse resident, was charged federally with illegally voting as a noncitizen after appearing in federal court in Syracuse on Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026, and now faces possible prison, fines and deportation.[1]
Cook voluntarily turned herself in and was placed in shackles during the hearing.[1] She told Homeland Security investigators earlier in October 2026 that she only recently learned she was born in Germany after long believing she was a U.S. citizen.[1]
Prosecutors say Cook cast a ballot in the 2022 midterm election and charged her with one misdemeanor count of voting by an alien.[1] The charge carries a maximum one-year prison term, up to a $100,000 fine and possible deportation under federal law.[1]
First Assistant U.S. Attorney John A. Sarcone III said the case proves that voter fraud is "rampant" in New York.[1] His comment comes as the Trump administration is publicizing noncitizen voting arrests ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.[1]
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📌 Key Facts
- Marva Cook, a 66-year-old Syracuse resident, is charged with one federal misdemeanor count of voting by an alien for casting a ballot in the 2022 midterms.
- Cook told Homeland Security investigators earlier in October 2026 that she only recently learned she was born in Germany after long believing she was a U.S. citizen.
- She appeared in federal court in Syracuse on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, after voluntarily turning herself in and was placed in shackles during the hearing.
- The charge carries a maximum one-year prison term, up to a $100,000 fine and possible deportation under federal law.
- First Assistant U.S. Attorney John A. Sarcone III called the case proof that voter fraud is “rampant” in New York as the Trump administration publicizes noncitizen voting arrests before the 2026 midterms.
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