Undocumented Russellville woman sentenced to five-year prison sentence for fraudulent passport, voter registration

A Russellville woman living in the United States illegally was sentenced January 17th to serve 60 months in federal prison for using false documents and statements to obtain a United States passport and registering to vote.

Angelica Maria Francisco, 42, pled guilty September 5, 2024, to nine charges contained in a nine-count information filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama.

Those charges included using false claims of citizenship in connection with voting, false statements in a passport application, use of a United States passport obtained by false statements and aggravated identity theft.

U.S. District Judge Liles C. Burke sentenced Francisco to 60 months in a hearing last week.

According to information from the government, Francisco was an undocumented individual living in Franklin County. She assumed the identity of a United States citizen in 2011. She used that identity to obtain a United States passport in 2011 and used the passport to travel to and from her native country of Guatemala in 2012, 2015 and 2018.

She also registered to vote and cast ballots in the 2016 and 2020 primary and general elections. 

Francisco also pled guilty to using her false identity to apply for a passport renewal in 2022.

Multiple agencies investigated the case, including the Diplomatic Security Service, Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, the East Metro Area Crime Center and the Alabama Secretary of State's Office.

U.S. Attorney Prim Escalona said Francisco's sentencing should be a warning to other non-U.S. Citizens who illegally attempt to vote.

“Maintaining the sanctity of the U.S. Election system is one of the most important responsibilities of federal law enforcement. My office will remain vigilant in carrying out this mission and, to that end, will continue to work with our federal, state and local partners to investigate and prosecute individuals who seek to undermine our elections,” Escalona said.