Wichita woman from Peru indicted for illegally voting

WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) - The United States Department of Justice confirmed that a 24-year-old Wichita woman is set to make a court appearance on Monday after a federal grand jury in Wichita returned an indictment for charges connected with an allegation that she voted illegally despite not being a U.S. citizen.

Court documents show that charges against Mariana Alexandra Dewey, a Peruvian national, include one count each of making a false claim of citizenship, making a false claim of United States citizenship in order to vote, fraudulent election conduct and “voting by an alien in a federal election.”

The Department of Justice said Dewey is accused of falsely representing herself as a U.S. citizen to vote in the November 2024 election that included federal, state and local offices. In that same election, she’s accused of casting a ballot that included candidates for U.S. president, vice president, U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives after falsely certifying that she was a U.S. citizen and eligible to vote.

“The Department of Justice remains committed to protecting election integrity and is actively investigating and prosecuting these cases,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan A. Kriegshauser in a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office District of Kansas. “With another election looming, the Department’s effort serves as a stark reminder to individuals who are not legally authorized to vote not to engage in this conduct. Should individuals be determined by a court of law to have illegally claimed U.S. citizenship and voted or attempted to vote in federal elections, they will face serious criminal consequences.”

The Justice Department said Dewey will appear before a U.S. Magistrate Judge on Monday in Wichita as part of the case investigated by Homeland Security Investigations.