The indicted individual is Carlos Felipe Jaramillo Grajales, 55, from Jacksonville, Florida. “According to the indictment, Grajales is a Colombian citizen who used the name, date of birth, and Social Security number of a U.S. citizen to apply for a passport,” the DOJ said.
“He used those same identifiers and claimed to be a U.S. citizen to obtain a Florida driver’s license on three occasions and to vote in the November 2020 general election.”
Grajales has been charged with one count for making false statements when applying for a U.S. passport; three counts for falsely claiming to be an American citizen to secure a driver’s license in Florida; four counts for Social Security number fraud; and nine counts related to election fraud and aggravated identity theft, said the department.
If convicted, Grajales faces a maximum jail term of 10 years for the passport fraud count. In addition, he faces five years for each count of falsely claiming U.S. citizenship and each count of fraudulent use of a Social Security number. Grajales faces one year of imprisonment for the count of voting by an alien.
There is also a “mandatory 2 years in prison for each aggravated identity theft count, which must be served consecutively to any other sentence,” it said.
The Epoch Times was unable to ascertain whether Grajales has been assigned legal representation, as the indictment is recent.
“The U.S. passport is considered to be the most valuable identity document in the world. It can be used to provide proof of U.S. citizenship and allows its bearer access to virtually every country in the world,” said the department.
Multiple states have taken action to prohibit noncitizens from voting. Identity theft of U.S. individuals is lucrative for foreign nationals seeking to vote for candidates or a party they support. Noncitizen voting can have an impact in tight races.
However, on Oct. 31, Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia stated in an order that EAC officials are prohibited from updating the form to require proof of citizenship.
“Because our Constitution assigns responsibility for election regulation to the States and to Congress, this Court holds that the President lacks the authority to direct such changes,” the judge wrote.
In an emailed statement to The Epoch Times, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson defended the president’s actions.
“President Trump has exercised his lawful authority to ensure only American citizens are casting ballots in American elections. ... We expect to be vindicated by a higher court,” she said.
Meanwhile, authorities have taken action against sellers of fraudulent U.S. identification documents.
“The removal of this marketplace is a major step in protecting the public from fraud and identity theft crime,” said Philip Russell, acting special agent in charge of the FBI Albuquerque Division.
