Deported to Colombia: Used a citizen's name and Social Security number to obtain a license and passport in Florida

A Colombian national, Carlos Felipe Jaramillo Grajales, has been convicted in a federal court for impersonating a U.S. citizen for more than two decades in Florida. The 55-year-old man illegally acquired the personal details of an American citizen, including their name, birth date, and Social Security number, to construct a false identity.

Beginning in March 2003, Jaramillo Grajales used this stolen information to obtain a Florida driver's license, which he renewed multiple times, most recently in February 2024. The following month, he applied for a U.S. passport, submitting the victim's authentic Puerto Rican birth certificate along with his fraudulent state ID. The passport was issued in May 2003 and subsequently renewed twice.

This elaborate scheme extended to his spouse, who entered the U.S. on a tourist visa in September 2003. She later obtained U.S. citizenship in August 2017, based on her husband's purported citizenship. After divorcing in January 2020, the couple devised a new plan. Jaramillo Grajales traveled to Colombia in May 2024, and his ex-wife filed a K-1 visa petition for him under his real identity the following month.

Furthermore, Jaramillo Grajales exploited Florida's electoral system. He registered to vote in Duval County in December 2010, falsely claiming U.S. citizenship and birth in Puerto Rico. This allowed him to participate in multiple elections over the years. He returned to the U.S. with his real identity and remarried his ex-wife in June 2025, subsequently applying for permanent residency.