Colombian National Sentenced to Three Years for Using Stolen Identity to Vote Illegally for Two Decades

Carlos Felipe Jaramillo-Grajales, an undocumented immigrant from Colombia, was sentenced Friday to three years in prison after being convicted of identity theft and falsely claiming U.S. citizenship. Federal authorities determined that Jaramillo-Grajales leveraged the fraudulent citizenship claim to cast ballots in American elections spanning approximately two decades, including the 2020 presidential election.

The scheme began in March 2003 when Jaramillo-Grajales obtained a U.S. passport using the name, date of birth, and Social Security number belonging to an American citizen. He then used those fraudulent credentials to secure a Florida driver’s license and register to vote, enabling him to participate in multiple federal elections.

DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin characterized the case as emblematic of broader election security vulnerabilities. “Because of his fraud, he was able to obtain a driver’s license and vote in our elections,” Mullin stated, emphasizing that “only Americans should be electing American leaders.”

Beyond voting, Jaramillo-Grajales exploited the stolen identity for additional purposes, including securing lawful permanent residence for his fiancée in June 2017. Tim Hemker, a special agent with Homeland Security Investigations, noted the defendant “spent years exploiting a stolen identity of a United States citizen to obtain government documents [and] claim benefits.”

The conviction is one of several recent cases highlighting noncitizen voting irregularities. DHS cited the case of Marian Chariton from Slovakia, who illegally voted in New Jersey’s 2022 election, and Jose Ceballos from Mexico, who pleaded guilty to election-related charges in Kansas.

Mullin’s office previously identified approximately 190,830 noncitizens registered to vote in California alone and sent letters to election officials in California, New Jersey, Nevada, and Pennsylvania urging enhanced voter verification procedures. The conviction was jointly investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service, and the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General, with prosecution led by Assistant United States Attorney Arnold B. Corsmeier.