MIAMI — A Dominican national living illegally in the United States has been sentenced to more than five years in federal prison for a series of crimes that included impersonating a U.S. citizen to vote in multiple elections, unlawfully obtaining firearms, and attempting to fraudulently secure U.S. passports.
Carlos Abreu, 36, received a 65-month prison sentence followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to multiple charges in two consolidated federal cases. As part of his sentence, Abreu must also report to immigration authorities for removal proceedings following his release.
According to court documents, Abreu entered the United States without inspection and in 2007 began using the identity of a U.S. citizen identified as “C.R.V.,” a resident of Puerto Rico who was unaware his identity had been stolen. Using this false identity, Abreu obtained a Florida driver’s license and registered to vote in 2016, renewing his registration in 2020. He admitted to voting in the 2016 and 2022 federal elections under the stolen identity.
In addition to voting, Abreu obtained a concealed carry permit and purchased four firearms while posing as “C.R.V.” He also attempted to obtain U.S. passports for himself and his two minor daughters using the stolen identity.
Abreu pleaded guilty to five federal offenses: falsely claiming U.S. citizenship to register to vote, using a U.S. citizen’s identity to vote, unlawfully possessing firearms, making false statements on a passport application, and aggravated identity theft.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) Miami Field Office, with support from the DSS San Juan Resident Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) in Miami. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brianna Coakley and Daniel Rosenfeld prosecuted the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Nadya Z. Cheatham handled asset forfeiture proceedings.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida announced the sentencing and noted that updates can be found on its website at www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl.
