Colombian woman charged with identity theft, voter and federal benefits fraud

A Colombian woman, an illegal immigrant in Boston, was formally indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of identity theft and receiving rental assistance, Social Security benefits and other federal aid. She is also charged with committing voter fraud with the stolen identity.

Similarly, according to the Justice Department, the defendant also allegedly applied for a U.S. passport and obtained a Massachusetts Real ID and eight other identifications.

She is Lina Maria Orovio-Hernandez, a 59 year old Columbian native.

According to court documents, Orovio-Hernandez, without legal status in the country, has lived with a stolen identity for more than 20 years.

Orovio-Hernandez allegedly used the stolen identity to file a fraudulent voter registration in January 2023 and cast a fraudulent ballot in the presidential election in November 2024.