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A Bahamian national has been indicted on multiple federal charges, including illegal voting, passport fraud, and falsely claiming U.S. citizenship to obtain state benefits, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida announced Monday.
Rochelle Deborah Johnson, 65, of The Bahamas, faces a maximum penalty of 35 years in federal prison if convicted. According to the indictment, Johnson is not a U.S. citizen. In 2016, she allegedly used a passport obtained by falsely claiming U.S. citizenship to take an international flight. In 2018, she attempted to renew her passport by making the same false claim.
The indictment also alleges that Johnson unlawfully voted in the 2020 U.S. presidential election and falsely claimed U.S. citizenship to renew and replace her Florida driver’s license.
“An indictment is merely a formal charge, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office emphasized.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service and is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Wheeler III. It forms part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative aimed at combating illegal immigration, dismantling transnational criminal organizations, and protecting communities from violent crime.
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