NEWARK, NEW JERSEY — November 3, 2026. A 72-year-old Italian national who has lived legally in the United States for nearly five decades is facing federal charges after investigators accused him of voting in four American elections despite never becoming a U.S. citizen. Andrea Morzetta, a resident of North Haledon, New Jersey, allegedly cast ballots in 2014, 2016, 2020 and 2024. Federal prosecutors say he subsequently denied that voting history while applying for citizenship, placing a registration record dating back to 2002 at the center of a criminal case.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey announced the charges on October 29, 2026, following an investigation involving Homeland Security Investigations, the FBI and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Morzetta appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Leda Dunn Wettre in Newark federal court that day. The case is based on a criminal complaint containing two counts, and the allegations have not been proven in court.
A VOTER REGISTRATION APPLICATION FROM 2002
According to federal court documents, Morzetta emigrated from Italy and entered the United States around February 1976 as a lawful permanent resident under a P21 immigration classification. That status authorized him to reside permanently in the country but did not grant U.S. citizenship.
Investigators allege that on August 24, 2002, Morzetta completed a voter-registration form through the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission. On that application, prosecutors say, he certified that he was an American citizen. The registration was subsequently accepted, allowing him to participate in elections despite allegedly lacking the required citizenship status.
FOUR ELECTION CYCLES UNDER FEDERAL SCRUTINY
The complaint describes a voting history spanning approximately a decade. Prosecutors allege that Morzetta voted in person during the November 2014 midterm election and November 2016 general election. They also allege that he submitted a mail ballot in November 2020 and returned to vote in person in November 2024.
Although the complaint identifies four election cycles, the federal unlawful-voting charge specifically concerns the November 5, 2024, election. The earlier elections form part of the government’s account of his voting history rather than four independently charged voting offenses.
A CITIZENSHIP APPLICATION RAISED ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS
The investigation also focuses on an application for naturalization submitted in January 2025. According to prosecutors, Morzetta answered negatively when asked whether he had ever registered to vote or voted in a federal, state or local election in the United States.
Federal investigators allege that the answer was false. The complaint says Morzetta subsequently acknowledged previous voting during an April 2025 interview with immigration authorities. Investigators also cited a written statement submitted later that year in which he acknowledged having voted in person on at least one occasion while disputing how frequently he had participated.
These statements are part of the prosecution’s allegations. Their legal significance, including whether prosecutors can prove the necessary elements of the charged offenses, remains for the court to determine.
TWO CHARGES CARRY POTENTIAL PRISON SENTENCES
Morzetta faces one count of voting by a noncitizen in a federal election under 18 U.S.C. § 611 and one count of unlawfully attempting to procure naturalization under 18 U.S.C. § 1425(a).
The first charge carries a statutory maximum penalty of one year in prison and a fine of up to $100,000. The second carries a maximum of 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. These figures represent possible maximum penalties, not a sentence or a determination of guilt.
The Justice Department identified Assistant Federal Public Defender Patrick McMahon as Morzetta’s defense counsel. No substantive defense response was included in the prosecution’s October 29 announcement.
CASE RECEIVES RENEWED ATTENTION ON ELECTION DAY
The case has drawn renewed attention during the November 3 midterm elections, with ICE publicly highlighting the arrest and Italian media reporting the development. The Justice Department had also included Morzetta in a broader November 2 announcement involving 63 individuals charged with various election-related offenses nationwide.
That national announcement involves separate cases and different alleged violations. It does not establish that the defendants acted together or that the alleged conduct affected election outcomes.
Morzetta’s case remains an individual federal prosecution. The central questions are whether the government can prove that he knowingly voted while ineligible and whether his statements during the naturalization process meet the statutory requirements for a separate criminal conviction.
Until those issues are resolved, Morzetta remains presumed innocent, and the criminal complaint represents allegations rather than judicial findings.
