Two Ukrainian women living in South Florida on temporary visas have been federally charged with unlawfully voting in the 2024 U.S. presidential election, the Department of Justice announced Tuesday.
Svitlana Demydenko, 53, and her daughter, Yelyzaveta Demydenko, 22, appeared in federal court in West Palm Beach after investigators said they illegally cast ballots during early voting in Palm Beach on Oct. 31, 2024.
Neither woman is a U.S. citizen, the U.S Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida said in a press release.
According to a criminal complaint affidavit, the pair entered the U.S. in April 2021 and later registered to vote in August 2024 using a system that requires an individual to certify they are a U.S. citizen — a requirement they did not meet.
Despite lacking citizenship, both women allegedly voted in the 2024 General Election, which included the race for U.S. president, federal authorities said.
The charges were announced by U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida, Acting Special Agent in Charge Jose R. Figueroa of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Miami and Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) Commissioner Mark Glass.
The case was investigated by HSI’s Miami Field Division and FDLE’s Election Crime Unit, with assistance from several other agencies, including the Florida Department of State, the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections, the U.S. Diplomatic Security Service, and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a press release said.
Assistant U.S. Attorney John McMillan is prosecuting the case. The investigation remains ongoing.
