Russian National Sentenced to Six Years for Synthetic Identity Theft and Voter Registration Fraud Scheme

Dmitry Shushlebin, a 45-year-old Russian citizen residing in Miami Beach, Florida, has been sentenced to six years in prison and three years of supervised release for running an identity theft fraud scheme that involved submitting fraudulent voter registrations, the U.S. Department of Justice announced.

In addition to the prison term, Shushlebin was ordered to pay $458,839.69 in restitution. The sentencing follows his July 25, 2025, guilty plea to a four-count superseding information that charged 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.

According to court documents, Shushlebin created sham companies after arriving in the United States to carry out a multi-year financial fraud scheme. He hired an Uzbekistani national, Sanjar Jamilov, and others to submit more than 100 fraudulent voter registration applications to the Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections during February and March 2023.

The Department of Justice stated that one of the objectives of the fake voter registrations was to generate synthetic identities that appeared legitimate. Shushlebin subsequently used these fabricated identities hundreds of times to secure fraudulent credit cards and loans from victim financial institutions.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Prosecution was handled by the Justice Department's Criminal Division Public Integrity Section alongside the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida.

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