An illegal immigrant who used a stolen identity to get a U.S. passport, plus registered and voted in American elections, has been sentenced to five years in prison.

Angelica Maria Francisco, a 42-year-old Guatemalan, was living under the stolen identity of a U.S. citizen since at least 2011. She used it to register to vote in 2016 and cast ballots in the primary and general elections that year and again in 2020.

She also used the stolen identity to register for a passport in 2011 and renew it in 2021. The passport helped her travel to Guatemala at least four times between 2012 and 2022.

“This sentence sends a clear message that any attempts by non-U.S. citizens to vote in the Northern District of Alabama are unacceptable and will result in serious consequences,” Prim Escalona, the U.S. attorney who led the prosecution, said Thursday.

Francisco, in court documents, said she used an American woman’s name, Social Security card and birth certificate to assume her identity.

Her lawyer told the judge that she was “brought to this country as a young child” and has called the U.S. her home ever since.

“She has lived in this community and is a mother of six children, including two young children,” Lucas Snodgrass said in a filing asking the judge for leniency.

He said Francisco, a first-time nonviolent offender, was remorseful and should be granted house arrest so she could remain with her children.

“Her otherwise law-abiding life demonstrates that her actions were an isolated lapse in judgment rather than a pattern of criminal behavior,” Mr. Snodgrass said.

The case challenges the assertion of voting-rights groups who argue that noncitizen voting is largely a myth.

Francisco’s case is unusual in that she’s an illegal immigrant. The Washington Times has reported that most noncitizen voting cases involve legal visa holders — usually permanent residents — who register and sometimes cast ballots.

Often they are enticed to sign up while registering for a driver’s license or obtaining some other government service.

Some of the immigrants say they feel entitled, despite lacking citizenship. Others say they’re only following the prompts of government officials who prod them to register.

• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.