A 64-year-old Hudson County woman is facing federal charges after prosecutors say she voted in four separate federal elections despite not being a U.S. citizen, and then lied about it on her application for naturalization. Sanata Coulibaly is charged with voting by an alien in a federal election and making false statements while applying for U.S. citizenship.
According to the criminal complaint, Coulibaly was a non-citizen when she registered to vote through a paper application filed at the office of the Hudson County Superintendent of Elections, as reported by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey. Prosecutors allege she cast ballots in the November 2018 midterm election, the July 2020 primary, the November 2020 general election, and the 2024 general election — four contests that included candidates running for federal office, per the complaint.
The complaint also states that Coulibaly was not authorized to vote in federal elections at the time she cast those ballots. NJ.com reports that Coulibaly entered the United States from Senegal on a B-1 nonimmigrant visa, a category typically reserved for temporary business or tourist travel rather than permanent residency.
A Naturalization Bid Built on False Statements, Prosecutors Say
Coulibaly applied for naturalization in October 2024, submitting an N-400 naturalization application, according to the outlet's report. That application requires applicants to swear under penalty of perjury that all of the information they provide is complete, true and correct.
Prosecutors allege Coulibaly falsely certified on that application that she was a U.S. citizen when she registered to vote, and separately claimed she had never registered to vote or voted in any federal election — statements investigators say were untrue given her voting history in the four contests identified in the complaint.
Court Appearance and Potential Penalties
Coulibaly appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jessica S. Allen in Newark federal court, where the case is being handled. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey announced the charges in a statement.
The illegal voting charge carries a maximum sentence of one year, while making false statements while applying for citizenship carries a maximum potential sentence of 10 years in prison. The available evidence does not indicate Coulibaly's plea, attorney, or detention status, and the full criminal complaint was not made public in the materials reviewed for this report.
