A Colombian national living in the U.S. illegally was sentenced to three years in federal prison for using a stolen identity to vote in American elections for more than 20 years.
A Colombian national living in the United States illegally has been sentenced to three years in federal prison after admitting he used a stolen American identity to vote in U.S. elections for more than 20 years. Carlos Felipe Jaramillo-Grajales pleaded guilty to four federal crimes, including aggravated identity theft and falsely claiming U.S. citizenship, in a case federal officials are holding up as proof that election security is national security. The sentence, handed down last week in Florida, caps an investigation that reached back to a passport obtained under a U.S. citizen's stolen credentials in 2003.
The case is drawing attention in Washington as lawmakers debate whether new voter verification laws are needed and as the Department of Homeland Security presses states to clean up their voter rolls. DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin called the conviction a warning to anyone who thinks they can cheat the system.
According to federal prosecutors, the scheme began in March 2003, when Jaramillo-Grajales used the name, date of birth, and Social Security number of a U.S. citizen to obtain an American passport. With that credential in hand, he secured a Florida driver's license and registered to vote under the stolen identity.
Over the next two decades, investigators say, he cast ballots in multiple elections, including the 2020 presidential election. DHS has not disclosed exactly how many times he voted or precisely when the illegal voting began.
The fraud was not limited to the ballot box. In June 2017, he used the false identity to obtain lawful permanent residence for his fiancee, who later became his wife. Investigators said the stolen identity was also used to claim government benefits.
Jaramillo-Grajales pleaded guilty to making false statements on a U.S. passport application, aggravated identity theft, falsely claiming a Social Security number, and falsely claiming U.S. citizenship in connection with voting. On August 12, a federal judge in the Middle District of Florida sentenced him to three years behind bars.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the State Department's Diplomatic Security Service, and the Social Security Administration's Office of the Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorney Arnold B. Corsmeier prosecuted it.
"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.
Mullin framed the sentencing as part of a broader crackdown on aliens who fabricate identities to vote or secure U.S. benefits. "Because of his fraud, he was able to obtain a driver's license and vote in our elections," the secretary said. "DHS will always fight to protect the integrity of our elections, because election security is national security. Only Americans should be electing American leaders."
Earlier this year, Mullin sent letters to the secretaries of state of California, New Jersey, Nevada, and Pennsylvania warning about noncitizen registration. DHS findings in California alone suggested as many as 190,830 noncitizens were registered to vote in that state.
The agency also pointed to other cases in its push for stricter verification. Marian Chariton, a national of Slovakia, illegally voted in New Jersey's 2022 election after falsely claiming citizenship. Jose Ceballos, a Mexican national, pleaded guilty to disorderly election charges in Kansas. A former Kansas mayor who was not a U.S. citizen also pleaded guilty to voting illegally multiple times.
At the end of his prison sentence, Jaramillo-Grajales will be removed from the United States and returned to Colombia. "Thanks to the hard work of the men and women of HSI, along with our federal partners, this criminal is out of our communities," Mullin said, "and, at the end of his sentence, will be removed from our country."
The case lands in the middle of a national debate over voter ID and citizenship verification. Senate Democrats recently voted against a Republican voter ID bill after their leader claimed Democrats support voter ID, a vote Republicans have seized on heading into the fall elections.
For now, the message from federal investigators is simple: identity theft to vote carries real consequences, and enforcement under the Trump administration's DHS is only getting sharper.
A Colombian national living in the U.S. illegally was sentenced to three years in federal prison for using a stolen identity to vote in American elections for more than 20 years.
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