An illegal migrant has been charged with stealing someone's identity and using it to vote in the 2024 presidential election and swiping $400,000 in federal benefits.
The Department of Justice also alleges that Lina Maria Orovio-Hernandez, a 59-year-old Columbian who has lived in Boston, Massachusetts, for 20 years, used the identity of a Puerto Rican citizen to apply for a U.S. passport and obtain a Massachusetts Real ID and eight other state IDs.
"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," said Leah B. Foley, the U.S. attorney in Massachusetts, according to a Justice Department release on Thursday.
"The right to vote is one of the many privileges of being a U.S. citizen. 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. Ms. Orovio-Hernandez was entitled to none of these privileges as a Colombian citizen who was unlawfully in this country."
Foley added that Orovio-Hernandez's alleged crimes "are an affront to every individual who plays by the rules and undermines many of the programs meant to support the most vulnerable members of our society.
"The U.S. Attorney's Office will continue to root out individuals who abuse the system and prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law," she said.
Orovio-Hernandez was charged in a superseding indictment with one count of false representation of a Social Security number; one count of making a false statement in an application for a U.S. passport; one count of aggravated identity theft; three counts of receiving stolen government money or property; one count of fraudulent voter registration; and one count of fraudulent voting.
She previously was charged in an indictment in February 2025 and has remained in federal custody since that time.
Among the federal benefits Orovio-Hernandez allegedly collected were $259,589 in Section 8 rental assistance benefits from October 2011 through January 2025; $101,257 in Social Security disability benefits from July 2014 through January 2025; and $43,348 in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits from April 2005 through January 2025.
Orovio-Hernandez is subject to deportation upon completion of any sentence imposed.
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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