United States Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Florida

10/02/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 10/02/2026 13:49

Illegal Alien from Italy Charged with Voting in 2024 General Election and Lying About It

Tampa, Florida - Andrea Catanese (60), an illegal alien from Italy, has been charged by federal indictment with voting by an alien, attempting to procure naturalization unlawfully, and making a false statement related to naturalization. If convicted on all counts, Catanese faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. U. S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to the indictment, Catanese, voted in the 2024 general election despite not being a citizen of the United States. The indictment further alleges that afterward, Catanese falsely stated he had never voted in a federal election on an Application for Naturalization and then made the same false statement to an immigration official who was reviewing the application.

An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, with assistance from the Pasco County Supervisor of Elections. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mark E. Andreu.

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