Idaho Noncitizen Voting Case Includes Medicaid Fraud Charges
The Trump administration's Justice Department is prosecuting three alleged noncitizen voting cases in Idaho, the first such prosecutions in the state under the second Trump administration. Two defendants, Canadian citizens, face misdemeanor charges for allegedly voting in the 2022 general election; a third, a Mexican citizen, faces additional federal charges including wire fraud, theft of government funds, and unlawful possession of a firearm. Prosecutors allege that defendant, Fredy Avila Gomez, used a fraudulent California birth certificate to obtain an Idaho ID and passport and fraudulently received Medicaid benefits from 2020 to 2026. Idaho's Secretary of State said federal prosecutors declined to pursue 13 other cases his office referred following a 2024 voter roll audit.