Mexican citizen used US man’s identity since 1992, stole thousands in benefits, feds say
.jpg "A Mexican citizen used an American man’s identity for years and stole Social Security benefits, federal prosecutors say.")
A man in the U.S. complained his identity was stolen and used by a stranger for years, according to federal prosecutors who said his “impersonator” was a citizen of Mexico.
A 59-year-old man from Tijuana lived under the U.S. citizen’s name since December 1992 — allowing him to collect Social Security benefits and receive a California driver’s license, prosecutors said. According to court documents, he lived in the U.S. without citizenship.
The identity theft was discovered soon after the man’s arrest on Aug. 5, 2022, when he drove into the U.S. from Mexico through the Otay Mesa Port of Entry and arrived in San Diego County with three people without legal status in the U.S., prosecutors said.
He was charged under the name of the U.S. citizen whose identity he stole, according to prosecutors who said an investigation revealed the man’s true name and Mexican citizenship status.
From 2007 through 2017 and 2019 through 2021, the man stole at least $81,185 in Supplemental Security Income benefits meant for the other man, according to a plea agreement.
He was sentenced to one year and six months in federal prison for misusing the American citizen’s identity “to obtain identification documents and thousands of dollars in government benefits,” the attorney’s office announced in a Sept. 25 news release.
McClatchy News contacted the man’s defense attorney for comment on Sept. 26 and didn’t receive an immediate response.
“This defendant pulled off this fraudulent charade for more than 30 years, and he had many victims — from the man whose identity was stolen, to the courts, state and federal government, and the Social Security Administration,” U.S. Attorney Andrew R. Haden said in a statement.
According to a sentencing memorandum submitted on the man’s behalf by his attorney, he was remorseful when confronted by the investigators and confirmed his true identity to them.
“He made it clear that he did not want the government to expend resources to try the case or force his family members to testify as to his true identity,” the sentencing memo says.
As part of the man’s sentencing, he was ordered to pay the Social Security Administration $81,185 in restitution and may be deported after serving his sentence, prosecutors said.
This story was originally published September 26, 2023 at 9:07 AM with the headline "Mexican citizen used US man’s identity since 1992, stole thousands in benefits, feds say."
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