Jacqueline Dianne Wallace, a 52-year-old Jamaican citizen, has been arrested and charged with making a false claim of citizenship to register for the 2024 Florida Presidential Primary Election. Michelle Spaven, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, announced Wallace's charge following her initial court appearance in Tallahassee.
The complaint accuses Wallace of entering the U.S. in December 2010 on a six-month B2 tourism visa and overstaying. In January 2024, Wallace allegedly registered to vote using an online system requiring U.S. citizenship certification, which she did not possess, submitting the form through a community college network.
Wallace is also accused of voting in the August 2024 federal election. Her arrest was conducted by Department of Homeland Security Investigations agents and Bay County Sheriff’s Office investigators.
If found guilty, Wallace faces up to five years in prison and deportation from the United States. The investigation was assisted by several organizations, including the Florida Department of Law Enforcement Office of Executive Investigations and the United States Citizenship Immigration Service. The case is prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Eric Welch.
This case is part of "Operation Take Back America," an initiative by the Department of Justice to address illegal immigration and transnational criminal organizations. As a criminal complaint, it stands as an allegation requiring the government to establish proof beyond reasonable doubt for a conviction.