A Colombian woman living illegally in Boston for 20 years under a stolen identity voted in the 2024 election and improperly received more than $400,000 in federal benefits, federal prosecutors charged this week.
Lina Maria Orovio-Hernandez, 59, also allegedly applied for a United States passport and obtained a Massachusetts Real ID and eight other state IDs, according to a federal indictment. For the passport, she claimed to be a United States citizen who was born in Puerto Rico, authorities said.
After obtaining her voter registration in 2023, Orovio-Hernandez was captured on surveillance camera at a bank wearing an “I voted” sticker on Nov. 5, 2024, Election Day, the New York Post reported.
The charges against Orovio-Hernadez are numerous, according to a statement released by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts:
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.
The woman was previously charged in an indictment in February for allegedly stealing housing benefits and has remained in federal custody since that time, prosecutors say.
In the eight-count, superseding indictment released Thursday, the office detailed the sources of money she received fraudulently:
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.
Orovio-Hernandez could face up to ten years in prison and fines of $250,000 on several of the counts, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office.
“The alleged crimes are an affront to every individual who plays by the rules and undermines many of the programs meant to support the most vulnerable members of our society,” United States Attorney Leah B. Foley said. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue to root out individuals who abuse the system and prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law.”
