Colombian National Used Stolen Identity to Vote and Receive $400,000 in Federal Benefits

These stories never get picked up by the media as they should. Maybe The New York Post will write up a piece in that thing that never happens happening again, but mostly, we have to read it on X directly from U.S. attorneys, such as Leah B. Foley, U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts. She tells us that a Colombian national who lived under a stolen identity for more than 20 years, and used that stolen identity to vote in the 2024 presidential election, obtain a Real ID, and receive $400,000.

The U.S. Attorney's Office said in a statement on Friday:

A Colombian woman, unlawfully residing in Boston, was convicted today following a five-day jury trial in federal court in Boston of identity theft offenses, including receiving rental assistance, Social Security and Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, as well as voter fraud under the stolen identity. The defendant also applied for a United States passport and obtained a Massachusetts Real ID and eight other state IDs.
Lina Maria Orovio-Hernandez, 59, was convicted of one count of false representation of a Social Security number; one count of making a false statement in an application for a United States passport; one count of aggravated identity theft; three counts of receiving stolen government money or property; and one count of fraudulent voting. Orovio-Hernandez was charged by superseding indictment in May 2025. She was previously charged in an indictment in February 2025 and has remained in federal custody since that time.
Orovio-Hernandez, a Colombian national without lawful status in the United States, has lived under a stolen identity for more than 20 years. Using the stolen identity, Orovio-Hernandez obtained nine state IDs, including a Massachusetts Real ID and applied for a U.S. passport.
Orovio-Hernandez also used the stolen identity to cast a fraudulent ballot in the November 2024 presidential election. In addition, Orovio-Hernandez improperly received approximately $400,000 in federal benefits: $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 SNAP benefits from April 2005 through January 2025.