By Jason Hopkins
A federal Grand Jury indicted a Colombian national Thursday on allegations of living in the U.S. unlawfully for years under a stolen identity, receiving hundreds of thousands in government benefits and voting in the last presidential election.
Lina Maria Orovio-Hernandez, a 59-year-old Colombian woman residing in Boston, lived in the U.S. more than 20 years under a stolen identity and improperly received roughly $400,000 in rental assistance, Social Security and food stamp benefits, according to a press release by the Department of Justice (DOJ). Prosecutors say she not only voted in the 2024 presidential election, but has been registered to vote since January 2023.
“For more than 20 years, this defendant is alleged to have built an entire life on the foundation of a stolen identity – including illegally voting in our presidential election and collecting hundreds of thousands of dollars in government benefits intended for Americans in need,” U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley said in a prepared statement. (RELATED: ‘One Step Ahead’: House Republicans Want To Make America’s Borders Even Harder To Illegally Cross)
“The right to vote is one of the many privileges of being a U.S. citizen,” Foley continued. “Government funded programs for those in need are intended to be safety nets for those living in our country lawfully – not support an illegal alien without a right to be here.”
Orovio-Hernandez allegedly used her stolen identity to obtain a Massachusetts Real ID, eight other state IDs and apply for a U.S. passport, according to prosecutors. She is accused of unlawfully collecting $259,589 in Section 8 rental assistance benefits between October 2011 and January 2025, $101,257 in Social Security disability benefits between July 2014 and January 2025 and $43,348 in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits between April 2005 and January 2025.
Altogether, the Colombia national is charged with one count of fraudulent voter registration, one count of fraudulent voting, one count of false representation of a Social Security number, one count of aggravated identity theft, one count of making a false statement in an application for a U.S. passport and three counts of receiving stolen government money or property, according to the DOJ.
“Stealing someone’s identity to unlawfully obtain Social Security benefits is not just theft — it’s a long-term abuse of a system meant to support those truly in need,” said Amy Connelly, Special Agent in Charge, Social Security Administration (SSA), Office of the Inspector General (OIG), Boston-New York Field Division. “This indictment reflects our continued commitment to uncovering long-term fraud and holding individuals accountable for exploiting the Social Security system.”
The high-profile charges follow steps by President Donald Trump’s administration to bolster election integrity and keep foreign nationals out of U.S. elections.
Lina Maria Orovio-Hernandez. Image courtesy of the Department of Justice.
Trump has prioritized reforms to keep noncitizens out of U.S. elections since returning to the Oval Office. In March, the president signed Executive Order 14248, Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections, which seeks to protect voting systems from fraud, systemic error and foreign influence.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is also rolling out an update to the the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program — which is used by state and local agencies across the country to verify the immigration status of applicants for various benefits — to allow for Social Security numbers to be used, the Daily Caller News Foundation exclusively reported Thursday. A USCIS spokesperson says the update will make it incredibly more difficult for non-citizens to participate in U.S. elections.
This is not the first case of an illegal migrant assuming another individual’s identity and participating in American elections.
Angelica Maria Francisco and Carlos Abreu — from Guatemala and the Dominican Republic, respectively — are both illegal migrants who pled guilty to assuming the identities of American citizens and voting in federal elections. The two illegal migrants had allegedly lived in the U.S. under false identities for years before being caught by federal prosecutors.
If convicted of all charges, Orovio-Hernandez faces up to more than 30 years in prison and well over $1 million in various fines, according to the DOJ. She additionally faces deportation back to her home country upon completion of any criminal sentence.
