Montgomery, AL – An undocumented individual has been charged with fraudulently assuming a U.S. citizen’s identity, using that identity to vote in multiple elections, and obtaining U.S. passports, according to U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and Joseph R. Wysowaty, Resident Agent in Charge of the U.S. State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) Atlanta Resident Office.
Angelica Maria Francisco, 42, of Russellville, has been charged in a nine-count information filed in U.S. District Court. The charges include false claims of citizenship in connection with voting, false statements in passport applications, using a passport obtained through false statements, and aggravated identity theft. Francisco has agreed to plead guilty to all charges as part of a plea agreement.
According to the filing, Francisco assumed the identity of a U.S. citizen in 2011 and used it to obtain a passport that same year. She used the passport to travel to Guatemala in 2012, 2015, and 2018. Francisco also registered to vote in Alabama in 2016, using the same false identity, and voted in both the 2016 and 2020 primary and general elections. In 2021, she applied for and received a renewed passport, which she used to travel to Guatemala again in 2022.
The court will set a date for Francisco to enter her guilty plea. While these charges have been filed, a defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
Secretary of State Wes Allen commented on the case, stating, “I have been very clear that a top priority of this Office is ensuring only eligible American citizens are voting in Alabama elections. I want to thank the U.S. State Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Northern District of Alabama for their diligent efforts investigating and charging this individual. We will continue to assist law enforcement in every way possible as they prosecute individuals who vote illegally in Alabama elections to the fullest extent of the law.”
The DSS led the investigation, with assistance from the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, the East Metro Area Crime Center, and the Alabama Secretary of State’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brett A. Janich is prosecuting the case.
