Russian national gets 6 years for fraud tied to fake voter registrations

A Russian citizen living in Miami Beach was sentenced to six years in federal prison for organizing an identity-theft and financial-fraud scheme that included efforts to submit more than 100 fraudulent voter-registration applications, the Justice Department said.

Dmitry Shushlebin, 45, was also sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $458,839.69 in restitution.

Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division said Shushlebin created sham companies after arriving in the United States to facilitate a multiyear financial-fraud scheme. Shushlebin used the companies to commit identity theft and create synthetic identities that appeared authentic after they were used to submit the fraudulent voter-registration applications, Duva said.

U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe for the Middle District of Florida said his office will continue investigating and prosecuting threats to the integrity of the electoral process. FBI Tampa Division Special Agent in Charge Rodney Crawford said the bureau is committed to working with election-security partners to detect and disrupt such schemes. U.S. Postal Inspection Service Miami Division Inspector in Charge Bladismir Rojo said combating fraud and identity theft remains a critical mission for his agency.

According to court documents, Shushlebin hired Sanjar Jamilov, an Uzbekistani national, and others to submit more than 100 fraudulent voter-registration applications to the Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections in February and March 2023. One purpose of registering the fake voters was to create synthetic identities that Shushlebin could use to commit financial fraud. He used the identities to obtain fraudulent credit cards and loans, targeting financial institutions hundreds of times with hundreds of different synthetic identities. The release does not allege that fraudulent votes were cast.

The United States filed a four-count superseding information against Shushlebin on July 24, 2025, charging him with conspiracy to give false information in registering to vote and submit fraudulent voter registrations, wire fraud, making false statements and aggravated identity theft. He pleaded guilty to all four counts the following day.

The FBI investigated the case with assistance from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Acting Chief Edward P. Sullivan of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Lindsey Schmidt for the Middle District of Florida are prosecuting the case. Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Marcet and Public Integrity Section Trial Attorney Leo Wise provided substantial assistance with the investigation and prosecution.