Overview
- After a five-day trial, Lina Maria Orovio-Hernandez, 59, was found guilty on counts including false Social Security representation, passport fraud, aggravated identity theft, receiving stolen government funds, and fraudulent voting.
- Prosecutors said she lived under a stolen Puerto Rico identity for more than 20 years, obtaining nine state IDs—among them a Massachusetts Real ID—and filing a U.S. passport application using her photo with the stolen biographical data.
- Investigators said she cast a ballot in the November 2024 presidential election under the false identity, with bank ATM footage showing her wearing an "I Voted" sticker that day.
- Authorities tallied roughly $400,000 in improperly received benefits: about $259,589 in Section 8 assistance, $101,257 in Social Security disability, and $43,348 in SNAP.
- She remains in federal custody and faces statutory penalties, including a mandatory two-year term for aggravated identity theft and potential deportation, with DSS, SSA OIG, HUD OIG, USDA OIG, and the Postal Inspection Service credited in the investigation.