Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has charged five non-citizens alleged to have voted in Michigan’s 2024 November general election, and one U.S. citizen alleged to have registered their non-citizen spouse to vote.
Throughout 2025, the Michigan Department of State referred 16 cases of suspected non-citizen voting in the 2024 November general election to the AG's office. In 2026, an additional 22 cases have been referred to the AG's office regarding suspected non-citizen voting or related conduct in elections from 2009 to 2025.
Six cases have resulted in criminal charges, 10 have been closed without charges, and 22 remain under review.
The Attorney General has charged:
- Michael Akioya, 39, of Oak Park, with one count each of: false statement on an absentee voter ballot application, contrary to MCL 168.759, a 90-day misdemeanor, and false statement on an absentee vote ballot return envelope, contrary to MCL 168.761(5), a 90-day misdemeanor.
- Kimberley DiDonato, 60, of Rose Township, with one count each of: election forgery, contrary to MCL 168.933a(a), a five-year felony, and Using a Computer to Commit a Crime, contrary to MCL 752.797(3)(d), a seven-year felony.
- Alondra Harker, 26, of Three Rivers, with one count of: Election Law – Fraudulent Registration, contrary to MCL 168.519, a 90-day misdemeanor.
- Harumi Michael, 60, of Wolverine Lake, with: two counts of election law forgery, contrary to MCL 168.933A, a five-year felony; one count of unqualified elector attempting to vote, contrary to 168.932a(c), a four-year felony, and one count of voter registration – false statement, contrary to MCL 168.499(1), a 90-day misdemeanor.
- Robert Piva, 67, of Roseville, with one count each of: election law perjury, contrary to MCL 168.933, a five-year felony; unqualified elector attempting to vote, contrary to MCL 168.932a(c), a four-year felony, and election law – fraudulent registration, contrary to MCL 168.519, a 90-day misdemeanor.
- Basanth Sadasivian, 29, residing in the United Kingdom, with one count of: election law – unqualified elector attempting to vote, contrary to MCL 168.932a(c), a four-year felony.
Michael Akioya is a lawful permanent resident, though not an American citizen and therefore ineligible to vote in any state and federal elections. It is alleged Akioya was registered to vote in 2016 with an Inkster address and voted in the 2024 general election by absentee ballot in Oak Park, attesting to U.S. citizenship on his application and ballot envelope. Akioya was charged in March of 2026 with one count each of False Statement on an Absent Voter Ballot Application and False Statement on an Absentee Vote Ballot Return Envelope. He was arraigned on May 13th, and will next appear before the 45th District Court in Oak Park for a pretrial conference on August 25th.
Kimberley DiDonato is an American citizen married to a lawful permanent resident who is ineligible to vote in any state and federal elections. It is alleged that DiDonato, posing as her non-citizen husband, falsely claimed he was an American citizen, provided her husband’s identifying information, and registered him to vote online in April of 2024. It is further alleged that upon receiving a voter registration card in her husband’s name, DiDonato contacted her local clerk to cancel the registration in May of that year. DiDonato has claimed her intent was to test the registration system for vulnerabilities to unqualified voter registrants. DiDonato is charged with one count each of Election Law Forgery and Using a Computer to Commit a Crime. She was arraigned on June 25th, and will next appear before the 52-2 District Court in Clarkston for preliminary examination on August 20th.
Alondra Harker is a limited-term alien resident, though not an American citizen and therefore ineligible to vote in any state and federal elections. It is alleged Harker registered and voted in person in the 2024 general election in Three Rivers. Harker is charged with Election Law – Fraudulent Registration. She was arraigned on July 7th, and will next appear before the 3B District Court in Centreville for a pretrial conference on September 10th.
Harumi Michael is a lawful permanent resident, though not an American citizen and therefore ineligible to vote in any state and federal elections. It is alleged Michael registered to vote in 2024 and voted in person in the 2024 general election in Commerce Township. Michael is charged with two counts of Election Law Forgery, one count of Unqualified Elector Attempting to Vote, and one count of Voter Registration – False Statement. She was arraigned in the 52-1 District Court in Novi on April 24th, and bound over to Circuit Court on June 3rd. She will next appear before the 6th Circuit Court in Oakland County for a pretrial conference on August 27th.
Robert Piva is a lawful permanent resident, though not an American citizen and therefore ineligible to vote in any state and federal elections. It is alleged Piva registered to vote online in September 2024 and voted in-person at an early voting location in Roseville in October of that year. Piva has claimed his vote was an experiment concerning voter fraud. Piva is charged with one count each of Election Law Perjury, Unqualified Elector Attempting to Vote, and Election Law – Fraudulent Registration. He was arraigned on August 12th, and will next appear before the 39th District Court in Roseville on August 26th.
Basanth Sadasivian presently resides in the United Kingdom and is not an American citizen. It is alleged that Sadasivian registered to vote in 2024 by email via the Federal Post Card Application system, using a Bloomfield Hills address, and voted under that same federal system in the 2024 general election. Sadasivian is charged with one count of Election Law – Unqualified Elector Attempting to Vote.
Oh the thing that never happens is happening again https://t.co/k4QFyksC3D
— Scott Jennings (@ScottJenningsKY) August 13, 2026
In 2024, Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson claimed that there was "no evidence" that non-citizens were voting in Michigan. Now, Benson is running for governor.
In 2024, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson testifying under oath to Congress: "There's no evidence that non-citizens are voting."
— MI Senate Republicans (@MISenate) August 13, 2026
Today, Attorney General Dana Nessel charged five non-citizens for voting in Michigan elections. https://t.co/b4eKbZEOAX pic.twitter.com/CYPoI53pmt
Glad to see charges coming, with many more in process, but let’s not lose sight of the truth:
— Anna Hoffman (@shoesonplease) August 13, 2026
- Their votes counted.
- Non citizens will continue to vote until Voter ID laws (no affidavit loopholes) are passed.
- We will never know the true number of non citizens voting https://t.co/o1DjlNg7r7
“Determining the point and manner of registration is essential for many of these cases because prosecuting residents over registrations made by agency error, when they made no false statement, is expressly prohibited by statute. If the government then encourages their vote or application for a ballot based upon that registration, entrapment by estoppel becomes a viable defense,” said Attorney General Nessel. “This is the concept that criminal conduct may have occurred, but a conviction would be unjust when the defendant acted in reliance on a reasonable government authority."
In six other cases concerning alleged 2024 general election votes cast by non-citizens, the Department of Attorney General has closed its investigation and review without issuing criminal charges.
Voter registrations associated with every identified non-citizen voter, charged or otherwise, have been cancelled.
The Michigan Department of Attorney General’s review of over 22 open cases referred in 2025 and 2026 remains ongoing.
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