FBI Agents Search Ohio Organizing Collaborative Office and Homes in Voter Registration Investigation
Federal agents searched the group's Cleveland-area office on June 11, 2026, and visited homes of affiliated individuals. The action is part of a Justice Department investigation into the nonprofit's voter registration work.
Nbc NewsFBI agents executed searches on June 11, 2026, at an office of the Ohio Organizing Collaborative and at residences of individuals affiliated with the group. Agents seized documents and computer files during the operation.
Prentiss Haney, a board member and former director of the Ohio Organizing Collaborative, stated that the searches occurred as part of a Justice Department investigation into the group's voter registration efforts. A spokesperson for the FBI Cleveland Field Office confirmed law-enforcement activity at the organization.
Three people familiar with the matter described the search to NBC News. Rep. Shontel Brown (D-Ohio) said her office contacted the FBI to request information about the searches.
Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose referred hundreds of cases to the Justice Department last year. LaRose stated that more than 1,000 noncitizens appeared to have registered to vote and that 167 had cast ballots across four federal elections dating back to 2018.
A spokesperson for LaRose did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether the June 11 searches were connected to those referrals.
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Ohio also did not immediately respond to inquiries about the searches.
A paid canvasser for the Ohio Organizing Collaborative pleaded guilty in 2017 to a fraudulent voter-registration scheme. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche attended a press conference in the Northern District of Ohio where three immigration-related cases were announced.
