An American citizen's identity was stolen by an illegal immigrant, who used it to vote in multiple elections and obtain an American passport.

An illegal immigrant has agreed to plead guilty to charges of stealing a U.S. citizen's identity to vote in multiple elections and fraudulently obtain an American passport, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

A 42-year-old undocumented individual from Russellville, Alabama, is facing a nine-count information filed in federal court for falsely claiming citizenship while voting, making false statements in a US passport application, using a US passport obtained through false statements, and committing aggravated identity theft.

On Thursday, Francisco pleaded guilty to all nine counts in a plea agreement filed by the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama, Prim F. Escalona and Resident Agent in Charge Joseph R. Wysowaty of the U.S. State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) Atlanta Resident Office.

In or around 2011, Francisco was accused of assuming the identity of a U.S. citizen and using it to obtain an American passport. She then allegedly used the passport to travel to and from Guatemala in 2012, 2015, and 2018. Additionally, she used the same identity to register to vote in Alabama in 2016 and voted in the 2016 and 2020 primary and general elections.

In 2022, Francisco allegedly used the same false identity to apply for and receive a renewed passport, which she used to travel to and from Guatemala in 2021.

The Diplomatic Security Service of the State Department, along with the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, the East Metro Area Crime Center, and the Alabama Secretary of State's Office, investigated the case.

"Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen stated that a top priority of his office is to ensure only eligible American citizens vote in Alabama elections. He thanked the U.S. State Department and the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Northern District of Alabama for their efforts in investigating and charging an individual who voted illegally in Alabama elections. He pledged to continue assisting law enforcement in prosecuting such individuals to the fullest extent of the law."

In the current election cycle, Allen, a Republican, has emphasized election integrity and previously raised concerns to Planet Chronicle Digital about how state agencies receiving federal funding are mandated to distribute voter registration information to anyone they encounter, without verifying citizenship, under Executive Order 14019. President Biden signed the order in 2021 as a way of promoting voter access, but Republicans contend that its broad interpretation of the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) of 1993 effectively transforms the federal government into voter registration agencies.

During the Republican National Convention in July, Allen disclosed to Planet Chronicle Digital that he had also conversed with House Speaker Mike Johnson about the SAVE Act, which seeks to mandate states to obtain in-person proof of citizenship when registering voters and to remove non-citizens from existing voter lists.

In an effort to prevent a government shutdown at the end of the fiscal year, Sens. Ted Cruz and Mike Lee advocated for the SAVE Act to be included in a spending bill extension.

"Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., stated on Friday that postponing new government spending until 2025 with the SAVE Act would prevent a Biden-Harris lame duck omnibus and safeguard elections. He added, "The Senate must choose between allowing only eligible American citizens to vote in our elections or shutting down the government. To me, it's a clear choice.""