Australian woman who has legally lived in the US for 30 years is indicted on federal charges after allegedly voting in two presidential elections

By ASHLEY NICKEL, NEWS REPORTER, AUSTRALIA Published: 10:46, 8 July 2026 | Updated: 10:46, 8 July 2026 An Australian who's spent 30 years living in the United States has been arrested for alleged voter fraud. Denise Nataly Migliore, 51, was charged on June 11 with four counts of illegal voting in an election and making false statements to register to vote. The US Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana levelled the charges against Ms Migliore following an investigation by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). It alleged Ms Migliore, who was born in Sydney, made false claims about being a US citizen to register to vote in October 2022 and October 2024. She's then accused of illegally voting on November 8, 2022 and November 5, 2024. Ms Migliore was arrested at a federal courthouse in New Orleans on July 1. The full circumstances of her arrest are unclear. 'Her arrest and charges are the result of the hard work of the men and women of ICE law enforcement and our federal partners,' Homeland Security Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said. 'Our message to aliens who vote in American elections is clear: we will find you, arrest you, and you will face the consequences, including criminal charges and deportation. Denise Nataly Migliore (above) was arrested on July 1 after being charged on June 11 for allegedly illegally voting Ms Migliore was arrested following an investigation by ICE and the FBI (stock image) 'Only Americans should be electing American leaders.' Local outlet Nola last month claimed Ms Migliore had mistakenly believed legal permanent residents could vote, like citizens. 'I have been here almost three decades, I had a pending application for citizenship, and I just considered myself a citizen,' she said. 'I just didn't realise that it was such a big deal.' American President Donald Trump on Tuesday addressed Ms Migliore's arrest on his social media platform, Truth Social. 'Australian alien arrested after investigation finds she illegally voted in two federal elections,' he wrote.  Trump has previously claimed immigrants have illegally swayed the results of federal elections, which has been debunked through analysis of voting data. That data found cases of illegal voting by immigrants, like what Ms Migliore is accused of, are rare. Homeland Security Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis (above) said: 'Only Americans should be electing American leaders' Ms Migliore was living in Franklinton, Louisiana, at the time of her arrest. If convicted, she faces a maximum of five years behind bars and three years of supervised release, as well as fines up to US$250,000. The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed it is providing consular assistance to an Australian in America. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.