Filipino green card holder pleaded guilty to illegal voting in Hawaii

A Filipino national living in Hawaii has pleaded guilty to unlawfully voting in the 2024 U.S. election, marking a major development in a federal election-law case first filed against her in July.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Hawaii announced that Bernadette Acaso, 20, a Filipino national residing in Honolulu, Oahu, and Kahului, Maui, pleaded guilty on September 18, 2026, to unlawfully voting as an alien.

Acaso was initially charged by criminal complaint on July 22, 2026. At the time, federal prosecutors said she was 19 and accused her of casting a mail-in ballot during the 2024 general election despite not being a U.S. citizen.

According to her plea agreement, Acaso was born in the Philippines and entered the United States around September 2018 on an immigrant visa, later becoming a lawful permanent resident.

Federal prosecutors said Acaso admitted that she cast a mail-in ballot in the 2024 election even though she knew she was not a U.S. citizen and was therefore not eligible to vote.

The guilty plea changes the status of the case from an allegation to an admitted federal offense.

U.S. Attorney Ken Sorenson said his office would continue enforcing federal election laws, arguing that unlawful voting by noncitizens undermines the integrity of U.S. elections. FBI Honolulu Special Agent in Charge David Porter and HSI Honolulu Acting Special Agent in Charge CJ Ammons also emphasized their agencies’ efforts to investigate violations of election laws.

Acaso now faces a maximum sentence of one year in prison, a possible term of supervised release, and a fine of up to $100,000. The Justice Department’s announcement did not specify her sentencing date.

The case was investigated by the FBI and Homeland Security Investigations, with Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Heidi Turner handling the prosecution.

Acaso’s case comes amid broader federal enforcement involving alleged unlawful voting by noncitizens. On September 18, the Justice Department separately announced charges against 16 individuals across the United States involving alleged illegal voting, voter registration and related election offenses.