Federal authorities say the alleged violations occurred over a two-year period and involved both the registration process and the subsequent casting of ballots.
Court documents accuse Migliore of making false statements related to voter registration on or about October 6, 2022, and again on October 22, 2024. Prosecutors further allege that she voted in federal elections on November 8, 2022, and November 5, 2024, after certifying under penalty of perjury that she was a U.S. citizen.
As a lawful permanent resident rather than a naturalized citizen, she was not legally permitted to vote in federal elections.
The investigation ultimately led to Migliore’s arrest on July 1 at the federal courthouse in New Orleans. The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) alongside the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
If convicted, Migliore could face substantial penalties. Each charge carries a potential prison sentence of up to five years, in addition to supervised release and financial penalties.
Louisiana officials say the case originated from the state’s election integrity efforts, which included the use of the federal Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements, commonly known as the SAVE database.
State election officials have increasingly relied on federal data sources to identify potential discrepancies involving voter registration records. According to Louisiana Secretary of State Nancy Landry, this particular investigation began after state authorities identified information that raised concerns about voter eligibility.
“The federal indictment of Denise Nataly Migliore announced Monday is the direct result of Louisiana’s proactive efforts to identify and investigate individuals who may be unlawfully registered to vote. This case originated from information identified through Louisiana’s use of the federal SAVE database and the diligent work of our Election Integrity Division, in partnership with federal law enforcement authorities,” Landry said.
Landry argued that cases involving ineligible voters undermine public confidence in elections and diminish the value of legally cast ballots.
“Every illegal vote cast diminishes the value of the vote of a lawful citizen and erodes public trust in our elections. Cases like this send a clear message that Louisiana takes election integrity seriously, and we will continue using every available tool to ensure that only eligible citizens participate in our elections,” she added.
The prosecution comes amid a broader national debate over voter roll maintenance and election security. Supporters of stricter verification measures have argued for years that states should aggressively review voter registration databases to ensure only eligible citizens remain on the rolls.
Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon recently pointed to the Louisiana case while discussing federal enforcement efforts involving election law violations.
“This is not a fictional issue. We’ve, at the DOJ, prosecuted numerous people in the last year and a half who have voted illegally,” Dhillon said during an appearance on Newsmax.
She also emphasized that federal law contains penalties not only for individuals who unlawfully register or vote, but also for election officials who knowingly facilitate illegal voting.
“My job is to enforce all of the federal laws relating to voting. Those laws include criminal penalties, not only for the people who falsely represent their citizenship to register to vote or vote illegally, but also election officials who knowingly allow or conspire with people to vote when they have no legal right to do so, including noncitizens,” she added.
Migliore, however, has publicly disputed the seriousness of the allegations and suggested that she believed she was entitled to participate in elections after living in the United States for many years.
In media interviews, she stated that she has spent nearly three decades in America and has an active citizenship application pending. She also indicated that she viewed herself as part of the country and did not fully understand the legal consequences associated with voting as a noncitizen.
“I just didn’t realize that it was such a big deal,” she said.
Migliore further claimed that she received voter registration outreach from government entities and was never prevented from registering or voting. According to her public comments, she only became aware of the criminal case after seeing news coverage about the charges.
She also said that financial difficulties have prevented her from hiring legal counsel.
Meanwhile, Louisiana officials say the investigation may not be an isolated incident. State authorities have indicated that reviews conducted through the SAVE database uncovered additional registered voters whose citizenship status may warrant further examination. Officials have also suggested that some of those individuals may have participated in elections.
As the case moves through federal court, it is expected to become a closely watched test of how aggressively states and the federal government pursue allegations involving noncitizen voting. For election integrity advocates, the prosecution serves as evidence that verification systems can identify ineligible voters. For critics, it raises questions about how such registrations occurred in the first place and whether safeguards failed before ballots were cast.
Either way, the Louisiana case is likely to remain at the center of the national conversation surrounding election security and voter eligibility in the months ahead.
