Illegal Colombian National Convicted of Voter Fraud and Stealing Over $400,000 in Public Benefits
BOSTON — A federal jury in Boston has convicted Lina Maria Orovio-Hernandez, a 59-year-old Colombian national unlawfully residing in the United States, on multiple charges related to a decades-long identity theft scheme. The conviction, delivered Friday, includes counts of aggravated identity theft, theft of government money, making false statements in a passport application, and fraudulent voting in the 2024 presidential election.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Orovio-Hernandez lived under the stolen identity of a U.S. citizen from Puerto Rico, identified as “E.C.,” for more than 20 years. Prosecutors demonstrated that she used this assumed identity to obtain a Massachusetts Real ID and systematically defraud federal agencies. The scheme resulted in the theft of approximately $400,000 in taxpayer-funded benefits, including over $259,000 in Section 8 housing assistance, $101,000 in Social Security disability payments, and more than $43,000 in SNAP food benefits.
The investigation into Orovio-Hernandez intensified in November 2024 when she applied for a United States passport using the victim’s biographical information but her own photograph. This application flagged federal authorities, leading to the discovery that she had also registered to vote in 2023 and cast a fraudulent ballot in the November 2024 presidential election. Background checks revealed Orovio-Hernandez had no lawful status in the U.S. and had previously been denied a visitor visa in 2003.
During the arrest operation, Orovio-Hernandez reportedly barricaded herself inside her home and insisted to agents that she was, in fact, the victim “E.C.” Defense attorneys may argue during sentencing that despite her status, Orovio-Hernandez had lived in the country for decades without prior violent incidents. However, prosecutors emphasized the severity of the fraud, noting the significant financial loss to public safety net programs and the breach of electoral integrity.
Orovio-Hernandez now faces a mandatory minimum sentence for the aggravated identity theft charge, with additional prison time possible for the fraud and voting convictions. She is also subject to deportation proceedings upon the completion of her sentence.
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