Cuban immigrant living in Missouri admits to voting illegally as U.S. citizen

A St. Joseph man who falsely claimed to be a U.S. citizen pleaded guilty Monday to voting illegally in several elections.

Leonardo Lleras-Rodriguez also pleaded guilty in federal court in Kansas City to preparing false income tax returns for other people.

Lleras-Rodriguez, 55, is a Cuban citizen who came to the United States in 1984 and was granted lawful permanent resident status after marrying a U.S. citizen, according to documents filed in U.S. District Court.

In 2009, after moving to St. Joseph, he claimed to be a U.S. citizen when he registered to vote and to get a job, according to the documents.

He subsequently voted in six elections from 2010 to 2014.

The tax charges involved Lleras-Rodriguez helping other people prepare and file false tax returns that resulted in a tax loss to the government of about $135,000.

This story was originally published November 27, 2017 at 12:18 PM with the headline "Cuban immigrant living in Missouri admits to voting illegally as U.S. citizen."