She is accused of unlawfully voting in the 2024 election and fraudulently collecting over $400,000 in federal benefits."
A Colombian national living illegally in Boston for two decades under a stolen identity has been charged by federal prosecutors.
— AF Post (@AFpost) May 23, 2025
She is accused of unlawfully voting in the 2024 election and fraudulently collecting over $400,000 in federal benefits.
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The post on X stemmed from a press release by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Massachusetts:
"Colombian National Charged With Voter Fraud; Federal Benefit Fraud; And Identity Theft Offenses
Defendant alleged to have voted in the 2024 presidential election; lived under stolen identity for more than 20 years; obtained a Real ID; and improperly received more than $400,000 in stolen federal benefits.
A Colombian woman, unlawfully residing in Boston, has been indicted by a federal grand jury for identity theft offenses, including receiving rental assistance, Social Security and SNAP benefits, as well as voter fraud under the stolen identity. The defendant also allegedly applied for a United States passport and obtained a Massachusetts Real ID and eight other state IDs.
Lina Maria Orovio-Hernandez, 59, 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 United States 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. Orovio-Hernandez was previously charged in an indictment in February 2025 and has remained in federal custody since that time.
According to court filings, Orovio-Hernandez, a Colombian national without lawful status in the United States, has lived under a stolen identity for more than 20 years. Using this stolen identity, Orovio-Hernandez allegedly obtained nine state IDs, including a Massachusetts Real ID and applied for a U.S. passport.
Orovio-Hernandez allegedly used the stolen identity to submit a fraudulent voter registration in January 2023 and cast a fraudulent ballot in the November 2024 presidential election. It is further alleged that 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 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits from April 2005 through January 2025."
One of the most poignant portions of the press release read: "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."
Read the full press release here.
