Carlos Felipe Jaramillo Grajales, a resident of Jacksonville, pleaded guilty on Apr. 28 to several federal charges related to adopting the identity of a U.S. citizen in order to obtain a passport and vote in elections. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe.
Jaramillo Grajales, who is a Colombian citizen, faces between two and twenty-two years in federal prison for making false statements on a passport application, aggravated identity theft, falsely claiming that a Social Security number had been assigned to him, and falsely claiming U.S. citizenship for voting purposes. His sentencing date has not yet been scheduled.
According to court documents, Jaramillo Grajales used the name, date of birth, and Social Security number belonging to an actual U.S. citizen when applying for official documents such as a passport and Florida driver license. He also registered to vote using these identifiers and subsequently voted in several elections under the assumed identity.
The plea agreement states that Jaramillo Grajales first obtained a driver license using the stolen identity in March 2003 and renewed it multiple times through February 2024. In April 2003 he applied for a U.S. passport with fraudulent but authentic documents—a Puerto Rican birth certificate matching the assumed name and his Florida driver license—and received passports after renewals in both February 2013 and March 2023.
In December 2010 he submitted an application for voter registration as the purported U.S. citizen from Puerto Rico; this was approved, allowing him to participate in elections including one held on November 3, 2020 in Duval County.
The case was investigated by the Diplomatic Security Service of the Department of State along with Homeland Security Investigations and the Office of Inspector General at the Social Security Administration. Assistant United States Attorney Arnold B. Corsmeier is prosecuting.
