A criminal illegal alien from Colombia has been sentenced to three years in prison for identity theft and making false statements about his citizenship status, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Carlos Felipe Jaramillo-Grajales reportedly used a stolen identity to participate in U.S. elections for approximately 20 years.
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin stated that Jaramillo-Grajales's fraud enabled him to obtain a driver's license and vote in U.S. elections. "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 said in a statement.
According to investigators, Jaramillo-Grajales initiated his scheme in March 2003 by using the name, date of birth, and Social Security number of a U.S. citizen to acquire a passport. He then leveraged this falsified credential to obtain a Florida driver's license and register to vote. DHS confirmed he cast ballots in the 2020 election and others.
Beyond voting, Jaramillo-Grajales also utilized the stolen identity for other purposes, including securing government documents and claiming benefits. Homeland Security Investigations special agent Tim Hemker noted that the individual "spent years exploiting a stolen identity of a United States citizen to obtain government documents [and] claim benefits." In one instance, Jaramillo-Grajales used the false identity in June 2017 to obtain lawful permanent residence for his fiancée, who later became his wife.
The DHS presented Jaramillo-Grajales's conviction as part of a larger effort to address instances where noncitizens fabricate information to vote or obtain U.S. benefits. The agency cited other cases, such as Marian Chariton, an alien from Slovakia who illegally voted in New Jersey in 2022, and Jose Ceballos, an alien from Mexico who pleaded guilty to election fraud charges in Kansas for falsely claiming citizenship.
"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 stated. The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS), and the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General. The prosecution was handled by Assistant United States Attorney Arnold B. Corsmeier.