The U.S. Department of Justice announced on November 17th that a Colombian man has been charged with identity theft for successfully obtaining a U.S. passport, acquiring three Florida driver’s licenses, and illegally voting in the 2020 U.S. election. The case has raised concerns in American society regarding election integrity.
The defendant, 55-year-old Carlos Felipe Jaramillo Grajales, resides in Jacksonville, Florida.
According to the Department of Justice, “Grajales, a Colombian citizen, used a U.S. citizen’s name, date of birth, and social security number to successfully apply for a passport.” “He also used the same identity information to falsely claim U.S. citizenship, obtaining three Florida driver’s licenses, and voting in the November 2020 election.”
Grajales is facing charges including making false statements in passport application, falsely claiming U.S. citizenship when obtaining driver’s licenses in Florida, social security number fraud, as well as nine counts related to election fraud and aggravated identity theft.
If convicted on all charges, Grajales could face decades in prison. Passport fraud carries a maximum sentence of 10 years; each count of falsely claiming U.S. citizenship and fraudulent use of social security number carries a maximum of 5 years; and illegal voting (by a foreign national) could result in a 1-year prison sentence.
The U.S. Department of State highlights that the U.S. passport is considered “the most valuable form of identity documentation in the world.” Besides proving U.S. citizenship, it grants nearly global access.
The State Department states that common motives for passport fraud by criminals include concealing identity, illegal entry, evasion of deportation, or aiding in activities such as human trafficking and drug smuggling.
The Department of Justice emphasizes that stealing U.S. citizens’ identities may be appealing to foreign nationals who wish to vote for their preferred candidates or parties, especially in closely contested elections where non-citizen voting could directly impact the outcome.
In light of this case, several states in the U.S. are strengthening measures to prevent non-citizen voting. Earlier this month, Texas voters passed a constitutional amendment explicitly prohibiting non-citizens from participating in voting.
In March of this year, President Trump signed an executive order directing the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) to revise federal voter registration forms to include a requirement for submitting documentation such as a passport to prove U.S. citizenship and prevent similar incidents of illegal voting.
However, on October 31st, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly ruled that the president does not have the authority to unilaterally mandate such changes, and barred the EAC from updating the forms.
In her ruling, the judge emphasized that the U.S. Constitution grants election regulation authority to the states and Congress, and the president’s actions are deemed as overreach.
White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson responded to Epoch Times, saying, “President Trump is exercising his lawful authority to ensure that only U.S. citizens vote in U.S. elections… We look forward to prevailing in higher courts.”
Simultaneously, U.S. law enforcement agencies are continuing to crack down on the illicit industry of counterfeit identity documents.
On August 28th, the Justice Department announced the successful shutdown of several online black markets selling counterfeit U.S. driver’s licenses, passports, and other identity documents to global cybercriminals.
FBI Albuquerque Field Office Acting Special Agent in Charge Philip Russell stated, “Disrupting these black markets is a critical step in protecting the public from fraud and identity theft crimes.”
As the indictment in the Grajales case has just been made public, the court has yet to disclose information regarding his defense lawyer. This case once again sparks high attention on election integrity, citizen identity verification, and passport security in American society.