Noncitizen Waukegan couple charged with voting in elections

A Waukegan couple in their 60s pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges they voted in elections even though they are not United States citizens.

Mahmoud Vakili, 67, and his wife, Parvin Vakili, 62, both of the 500 block of Bluff Avenue, were charged after they allegedly admitted the voting to federal officials considering their applications for naturalization.

Lake County Assistant State's Attorney Steven DeRue said the couple is charged with perjury and mutilation of election materials.

DeRue said the couple apparently immigrated to this country in the 1970s from their native Iran, according to records, but only recently began the process of applying for citizenship.

In September, DeRue said, officials of the Department of Homeland Security notified his office that Mahmoud Vakili had indicated he voted in the November 2010 general election, and his wife had cast a ballot in the November 2008 contest.

Both admissions were found on forms the Vakilis submitted to federal officials as part of the naturalization process.

State's attorney's office investigators confirmed the allegations by checking records in the Lake County clerk's office, DeRue said.

They are charged with perjury for signing the oath on the voter's application form that states they are eligible to vote, and mutilation of election materials for making false statements on the application. Both are felony charges.

Perjury is punishable by up to five years in prison, while mutilation of election materials carries a maximum penalty of three years.

Both crimes also carry the possibility of probation as a consequence.

The couple was charged Sept. 29 and each posted $500 in cash for bond.

Circuit Judge John Phillips ordered them to appear in court Jan. 18 and scheduled a trial for Feb. 27.

After leaving the courtroom, both declined to comment on the advice of their attorney, Assistant Public Defender Mora Mercure.