VIGO COUNTY, Ind. — A Vigo County man faces felony charges for registering to vote and casting ballots in multiple Indiana elections while ineligible, Attorney General Todd Rokita announced Thursday. Francisco Aguilar Romero faces charges of fraudulent voter registration, perjury and voting by an ineligible person, according to Rokita’s office. The case marks the first time Indiana has prosecuted a noncitizen for illegal voting, the attorney general’s office said. State records show Romero voted in six Vigo County elections between 2018 and 2024, including the 2020 and 2024 general elections. According to charging documents, Romero was born in Mexico and has Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status. Records show Romero first registered to vote in February 2018 and updated or reverified his registration in August 2023. Rokita said the charges stem from a multiyear effort to identify potential noncitizen voters using federal citizenship verification data. His office sued the federal government in April 2025 after an earlier request for voter citizenship information was denied. A settlement in December 2025 provided access to federal databases, according to the attorney general’s office. That data identified at least 21 noncitizens who voted in Indiana elections and nearly 150 others who were registered but had not voted, Rokita’s office said. Vigo County Prosecutor Terry Modesitt said his office appreciated the partnership with the attorney general to enforce election laws. Romero faces a maximum sentence of 11.5 years in prison if convicted. ...read more read less