An illegal immigrant from Colombia has been sentenced to three years in prison for identity theft and lying about his citizenship status to participate in American elections.
Carlos Felipe Jaramillo-Grajales used a stolen name, date of birth, and Social Security number belonging to a U.S. citizen to fraudulently obtain a passport in March 2003.
With that credential secured, he then used the false identity to obtain a Florida driver’s license and register to vote in American elections.
He went on to cast ballots in the 2020 election and others over a period spanning roughly 20 years, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
“Because of his fraud, he was able to obtain a driver’s license and vote in our elections,” DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said in a statement.
“DHS will always fight to protect the integrity of our elections, because election security is national security. Only Americans should be electing American leaders,” Mullin continued.
Beyond voting, Jaramillo-Grajales used the stolen identity for additional purposes, including securing lawful permanent residence for his fiancée in June 2017, who later became his wife.
“This criminal illegal alien spent years exploiting a stolen identity of a United States citizen to obtain government documents [and] claim benefits,” said Tim Hemker, a special agent with Homeland Security Investigations.
The sentencing arrives as lawmakers in Washington have debated whether new legislation is needed to strengthen voter verification requirements across the country.
Mullin had previously written to secretaries of state in California, New Jersey, Nevada, and Pennsylvania, highlighting the scope of noncitizen voter registration, finding as many as 190,830 noncitizens registered to vote in California alone.
DHS framed the conviction as part of a broader federal crackdown on illegal aliens fabricating information to vote or secure U.S. government benefits.
The agency also pointed to cases involving Marian Chariton, an alien from Slovakia who illegally voted in the 2022 New Jersey election, and Jose Ceballos, an alien from Mexico who pleaded guilty to three counts of disorderly election for falsely claiming citizenship in Kansas.
“Thanks to the hard work of the men and women of HSI, along with our federal partners, this criminal is out of our communities and, at the end of his sentence, will be removed from our country,” Mullin said.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, and the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General, and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Arnold B. Corsmeier.
