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Harnett County

Harnett, Wake and Robeson: Justice Department charges 18 more with illegal voting

Thursday's Justice Department list names residents of Harnett, Wake and Robeson counties among 18 new cases. The Robesonian independently named the Robeson County defendant. The News & Observer confirmed the statewide count.

ConfirmedThe main facts are confirmed by official or first-hand sources.

By Triangle Local Newsroom · Published

What we know

Confirmed

  • The U.S. Department of Justice, in an Oct. 29, 2026, release, said it announced charges against 18 people in North Carolina, including one person described as an illegal alien, for illegally voting. The release put this year's statewide total at 30.Confirmed by U.S. Department of Justice, Oct. 29, 2026
  • That announcement split the new cases as nine in the Eastern District of North Carolina, five in the Middle District, and four in the Western District. It said the nine Eastern District cases come on top of 12 earlier Eastern District cases, for 21 in that district this year.Confirmed by U.S. Department of Justice, Oct. 29, 2026
  • The News & Observer, posted at 1:32 p.m. Thursday, independently put the new group at 18 and wrote that all but one of the people announced Thursday are lawful permanent residents. That page also used a five-year prison maximum and a $250,000 fine on a false claim of citizenship to vote.Confirmed by The News & Observer (posted 1:32 p.m. Eastern Oct. 29, 2026)
  • The Robesonian independently named Selvin Porfidio Gonzalez Escobar, 43, of Robeson County, and wrote that the department described him as an illegal alien from Guatemala charged with one count of falsely claiming citizenship to vote and one count of voting by an alien, after a 2020 registration and ballots in the 2020 and 2024 general elections.Confirmed by The Robesonian (Oct. 29, 2026)
  • The Justice Department list also names Elizabeth Margaret Crudup, 52, a Kenyan native and lawful permanent resident living in Harnett County, and Patricia Elena Valencia Cardona, 56, a Colombian native and lawful permanent resident living in Harnett County. Each is charged with one count of falsely claiming citizenship to vote and one count of voting by an alien.Confirmed by U.S. Department of Justice, Oct. 29, 2026
  • The same list says Crudup registered in 2008 and voted in nine general elections (2024, 2022, 2020, 2018, 2016, 2014, 2012, 2010, and 2008) and nine primaries (2026, 2024, 2022, 2020, 2018, 2016, 2014, 2010, and 2008). It says Valencia Cardona registered in 2024 and voted in the 2024 general election.Confirmed by U.S. Department of Justice, Oct. 29, 2026
  • In Wake County the list names Gregory Eugene Wade, 64, a Bermuda native and lawful permanent resident. It says he registered in 2000 and voted in 12 general elections (2024, 2022, 2020, 2018, 2016, 2014, 2012, 2010, 2008, 2004, 2002, and 2000) plus the 2020 and 2002 primaries.Confirmed by U.S. Department of Justice, Oct. 29, 2026
  • The list also names Karl Anthony Wilkins, 62, a Jamaican native and lawful permanent resident now living in Fulton County, Georgia. It says he registered in 2018 and voted in the 2024, 2022, and 2020 general elections, plus the 2020 primary, in Wake County.Confirmed by U.S. Department of Justice, Oct. 29, 2026
  • The department wrote that a false claim of citizenship to vote carries a maximum of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, and that voting by an alien carries a maximum of one year and a $100,000 fine. The FBI and Homeland Security Investigations are investigating. An indictment is an accusation, and each defendant is presumed innocent.Confirmed by U.S. Department of Justice, Oct. 29, 2026
  • The News & Observer wrote that the people charged Thursday have not yet entered pleas. That page also named Italy, Kenya, Mexico, and France among the countries of origin on the full statewide list. It did not print the Harnett, Wake, or Robeson names we use from the department and The Robesonian.Confirmed by The News & Observer only

Alleged or reported

  • The people named in Thursday's announcement voted in federal elections while they were not U.S. citizens, after falsely claiming citizenship to register.Oct. 29, 2026, Justice Department announcement and the charging papers it describes

Still unknown

  • Whether any of the newly named defendants has a lawyer or a first court date. Thursday's announcement does not list those
  • How the 2026 primary attributed to Crudup was cast. The release does not say
  • A written plea from any of the newly named defendants

What this means for you

Instructions from U.S. Department of Justice, Oct. 29, 2026

This site is not the Justice Department or a county board of elections. An indictment is an accusation. Each defendant is presumed innocent. For the written announcement, use the Justice Department release. This is not an emergency service. If anyone is in danger, call 911.

What happened

In Harnett, Wake, and Robeson counties, the Justice Department said Thursday that new federal charging papers name local residents among 18 people accused of voting as noncitizens.

The written announcement put this year's statewide total at 30. Nine of the new cases sit in the Eastern District of North Carolina, five in the Middle District, and four in the Western District.

The News & Observer, posted at 1:32 p.m., independently used 18 for the new group and wrote that all but one person announced Thursday holds lawful permanent-resident status. That page also printed a five-year maximum and a $250,000 fine on a false citizenship claim.

The Robesonian independently named Selvin Porfidio Gonzalez Escobar, 43, of Robeson County. The department described him as an illegal alien from Guatemala and said the charging papers list a 2020 registration plus ballots in the 2020 and 2024 generals.

In Harnett County the same list names Elizabeth Margaret Crudup, 52, born in Kenya and living in the county as a lawful permanent resident, and Patricia Elena Valencia Cardona, 56, born in Colombia and also living in Harnett County on that status. The papers list a 2008 registration for Crudup, nine general-election ballots from 2008 through 2024, and nine primaries, including 2026. For Valencia Cardona they list a 2024 registration and a ballot in that year's general election.

In Wake County the list names Gregory Eugene Wade, 64, born in Bermuda and recorded in Wake as a lawful permanent resident. It lists a 2000 registration, 12 general-election ballots from 2000 through 2024, and the 2002 and 2020 primaries. Karl Anthony Wilkins, 62, born in Jamaica and now living in Fulton County, Georgia, is listed with a 2018 registration and with Wake County ballots in the 2020, 2022, and 2024 generals plus the 2020 primary.

The department wrote that a false citizenship claim tied to voting can bring five years and a $250,000 fine, and that voting as a noncitizen can bring one year and a $100,000 fine. The FBI and Homeland Security Investigations are listed as the investigators.

An indictment is an accusation. Each person is presumed innocent. Triangle Local is not the Justice Department. If anyone is in danger, call 911.

Photos

Text-only. No department or newspaper photos are used here.

Why it matters

Federal charging papers now name people who live in Harnett, Wake, and Robeson counties in a statewide voting case. Readers need the department's own names and vote lists, the Robeson County confirmation, and that these are accusations.

Updates

  1. Oct 29, 2026, 2:10 PM

    The Justice Department said Thursday it charged 18 more people with illegally voting, including named residents of Harnett, Wake, and Robeson counties. The Robesonian independently named the Robeson County defendant. The News & Observer confirmed the statewide count of 18.

Sources

  1. Justice Department Charges 18 More in North Carolina with Illegally Voting in 2024 Election (U.S. Department of Justice, Oct. 29, 2026: 18 charged, including one illegal alien; 9 Eastern, 5 Middle, 4 Western; 12 earlier Eastern District cases; statewide total 30 this year; nine Eastern District defendants each charged with falsely claiming citizenship to vote and voting by an alien; Selvin Porfidio Gonzalez Escobar, 43, Guatemala, Robeson County, registered 2020, voted 2024 and 2020 generals; Elizabeth Margaret Crudup, 52, Kenya, lawful permanent resident, Harnett County, registered 2008, nine generals and nine primaries; Patricia Elena Valencia Cardona, 56, Colombia, lawful permanent resident, Harnett County, registered 2024, 2024 general; Gregory Eugene Wade, 64, Bermuda, lawful permanent resident, Wake County, registered 2000, 12 generals plus 2020 and 2002 primaries; Karl Anthony Wilkins, 62, Jamaica, lawful permanent resident now in Fulton County, Georgia, registered 2018, 2024/2022/2020 generals and 2020 primary in Wake County; five years and $250,000 / one year and $100,000; FBI and HSI; indictment is an accusation. Political quotes are not used here. Text-only; no department photos used.)

    Official sourcePublished by U.S. Department of Justice · Checked Oct 29, 2026, 2:10 PM

  2. DOJ charges 18 in NC with illegally voting, including 1 in Robeson (The Robesonian, Oct. 29, 2026: 18 aliens including an illegal alien; nine Eastern District including one in Robeson County; five Middle; four Western; statewide total 30; Selvin Porfidio Gonzalez Escobar, 43, illegal alien from Guatemala living in Robeson County; one count of falsely claiming citizenship to vote and one count of voting by an alien; registered 2020; voted 2020 and 2024 generals; five years and $250,000 / one year and $100,000; FBI and HSI. Text-only; no newspaper photos used.)

    Published by The Robesonian · Checked Oct 29, 2026, 2:10 PM

  3. DOJ charges 18 more with illegally voting in North Carolina's 2024 election (The News & Observer, Kyle Ingram, posted Oct. 29, 2026, 1:32 p.m.: 18 people; all but one lawful permanent residents; one described as an illegal alien; five years and $250,000 on a false claim of citizenship to vote; countries of origin including Italy, Kenya, Mexico, and France; defendants announced Thursday have not yet entered pleas. Do not flatten the newspaper's '10 other' earlier count, the Robert Corbett interview from the prior round, or the AP nationwide case totals onto Thursday's Justice Department list. Text-only; no newspaper photos used.)

    Published by The News & Observer · Checked Oct 29, 2026, 2:10 PM

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