ICE investigation aids in jailing of Colombian national who fraudulently voted in U.S. elections
A Colombian national, Carlos Felipe Jaramillo-Grajales, who fraudulently voted in U.S. elections for over 20 years,was sentenced to three years in federal prison. He used forged documents obtained through identity theft-specifically, a U.S. passport and Florida driver’s license-claiming to be a U.S. citizen. Jaramillo-Grajales applied for and used a Social Security number of a U.S. citizen, voted in multiple elections including the 2020 general election, and renewed his driver’s license and passport multiple times over the years.
He initially obtained a florida driver’s license in 2003 under false pretenses, then used that to secure a passport and register to vote.In 2010, he falsely claimed U.S. citizenship on a voter registration form, which was approved, allowing him to vote in various elections.Additionally, he manipulated U.S. immigration laws to help his wife obtain U.S.citizenship and later remarried her under his real name after divorcing in 2020.
Jaramillo-grajales pleaded guilty to charges including making false statements on a passport application, identity theft, falsely claiming a Social Security number, and falsely claiming U.S. citizenship to vote. The inquiry was conducted by ICE Homeland Security Investigations and other federal agencies, highlighting efforts to protect the integrity of election processes.As DHS Secretary Markwayne mullin stated, this case underscores the commitment to removing individuals who commit such fraud and ensuring only Americans influence American elections.
A Colombian national illegal immigrant who fraudulently voted in U.S. elections for more than 20 years was sentenced last week to three years in federal prison for his crimes. An investigation conducted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and other federal agencies discovered that Carlos Felipe Jaramillo-Grajales used fraudulent documents in 2003 to get a driver’s license and, subsequently, a U.S. passport. With the “authentic but fraudulent documents,” he claimed he was a U.S. citizen and that he had voted in multiple elections.
“According to the plea agreement, Jaramillo-Grajales is a Colombian citizen who used the name, date of birth, and Social Security number of a U.S. citizen to apply for and obtain a passport,” read a release issued by the Department of Justice. “He used those same identifiers and claimed to be a U.S. citizen to apply for and obtain a Florida driver’s license and to register to vote. He then voted in several elections.” One of the elections he voted in was the 2020 general election.
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Court documents and details from the investigation revealed that Jaramillo-Grajales first obtained a Florida driver’s license in March 2003 by fraudulently using the name of a U.S. citizen. He then used this document to assist him in getting a U.S. passport in May 2003 and to register to vote. The investigation also revealed that he successfully renewed his driver’s license multiple times over the years, with the most recent renewal occurring in February 2024. He also successfully renewed his passport in 2013 and 2023.
“In December 2010, Jaramillo-Grajales submitted a Florida Voter Registration Application, identifying himself as the U.S. citizen and affirming that he was a U.S. citizen who had been born in Puerto Rico,” said the Justice Department. “The registration was approved, and he subsequently voted in several elections, including the election held in Duval County on November 3, 2020.”
DHS also revealed that Jaramillo-Grajales also schemed to get his wife to become a citizen of the United States. While in the country illegally and fraudulently, he manipulated U.S. immigration policies to enable a woman he married to become a U.S. citizen. He then used her citizenship to obtain U.S. citizenship under his real name through a scheme where he divorced and remarried her over the course of several years.
“Under his false name, Jaramillo-Grajales married a woman who came to the United States in September 2003 on a visitor’s visa, allowing her to apply for naturalization, as she was purportedly married to a U.S. citizen,” said DHS. “After her naturalization in August 2017, they divorced in January 2020, and he returned to Colombia under his false name. His ex-wife then flew to Colombia and filed an application for a fiancé visa for him under his real name.”
“After this visa was approved, Jaramillo-Grajales flew back to the United States under his real name, remarried his ex-wife in June 2025, and applied for permanent residence based on his marriage to a U.S. citizen,” said DHS.
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Jaramillo-Grajales was sentenced to three years in prison after pleading guilty to four charges: making false statements in a U.S. passport application, aggravated identity theft, falsely claiming that a Social Security number had been assigned to him, and falsely claiming to be a U.S. citizen to vote in an election.
“This criminal illegal alien from Colombia has just been sentenced to three years in a federal prison for identity theft and falsely claiming to be a U.S. citizen,” said DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin. “Because of his fraud, he was able to obtain a driver’s license and vote in our elections.”
“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. DHS will always fight to protect the integrity of our elections, because election security is national security. Only Americans should be electing American leaders.”
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