Federal prosecutors say a 58-year-old Mexican citizen slipped into the Tarrant County voting system by living under another man's name, securing a stack of U.S. documents along the way.
According to investigators, Eliseo Morales-Tapia is accused of using a stolen identity to vote in the Nov. 5, 2024 election in Tarrant County, then parlaying that same identity into a Texas driver's license, a state ID card, a Social Security card and a U.S. passport. He appeared in federal court in Fort Worth and is being held in custody while the case moves forward.
Last Friday's press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Texas states that Morales-Tapia was charged by federal complaint on March 20 with identity theft, voter fraud and passport fraud. The complaint alleges he used the victim's birth certificate and Social Security number to obtain official documents and that, in October 2025, he checked "yes" on questions about U.S. citizenship and voter registration while updating the address on a Texas driver's license.
How Investigators Say He Did It
The federal complaint lays out a backstory that starts hundreds of miles away. Investigators allege Morales-Tapia got hold of the victim's birth certificate from the victim's ex-wife in Chicago, then paired it with the victim's Social Security number to apply for identity documents and jobs in the victim's name. Those details were reported by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Local Context
Cases of noncitizens voting in North Texas do not surface often, yet when they do, authorities have shown they are willing to bring charges that can lead to stiff punishment. Past prosecutions in the region, including cases that resulted in multi-year sentences, highlight how state and federal officials have pursued allegations of illegal voting, according to The Dallas Morning News.
What the Charges Carry
Federal prosecutors say Morales-Tapia faces identity-theft, passport-fraud and voter-fraud counts that together add up to a maximum possible sentence of about 20 years in prison. The complaint breaks that down as up to five years on each identity-theft and voter-fraud count and up to ten years on the passport-fraud count.
Investigators on the case include the FBI's Dallas Field Office, the State Department's Diplomatic Security Service, the IRS, the Texas Department of Public Safety and local police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Capoccia is handling the prosecution, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Texas.
Next Steps
Morales-Tapia remains in federal custody as prosecutors consider any additional charging documents and await upcoming court dates. The identity-theft victim and investigators are still being interviewed, and authorities are working through the paper trail tied to the alleged scheme, according to reporting by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
