A federal jury in Massachusetts has convicted a Colombian woman of living illegally in Boston under a stolen identity for more than 20 years and receiving over $400,000 in stolen benefits.

Lina Maria Orovio-Hernandez, 59, who has remained in federal custody since her initial indictment last February, has also been convicted of using the stolen identity to vote in the 2024 presidential election.

Authorities say the woman obtained a Massachusetts Real ID and eight other state IDs through the stolen identity, which she also used to apply for a U.S. passport.

Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Leah Foley describes the crimes as a “slap in the face to all those who come into this country legally and abide by our laws.”

“Ms. Orovio-Hernandez has lived in this country illegally for two decades, during which time she repeatedly made false statements, stole, committed fraud and even voted illegally,” Foley said in a statement on Friday. “The air of entitlement is astounding. This case is yet another example of our commitment to rooting out those who violate our immigration laws and steal from United States Citizens.”

Orovio-Hernandez used the stolen identity to submit a fraudulent voter registration form in January 2023 and then cast a fraudulent ballot in the 2024 presidential election.

Colombian national Lina Maria Orovio-Hernandez has been convicted for identity theft. (U.S. District Court document screengrab.)

The Colombian national also received more than $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 (SNAP) benefits from April 2005 through January 2025.

After a five-day trial in federal court in Boston, a jury convicted Orovio-Hernandez of 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; and one count of fraudulent voting.

Shawn Rice, a federal special agent in charge with the Department of Housing and Urban Development, said Orovio-Hernandez’s actions were “not a one-time mistake or accident.”

“Orovio-Hernandez’s calculated deception caused her to fraudulently receive over $400,000 in federal benefits including more than $250,000 in HUD rental assistance,” Rice said in a statement. “These taxpayer funds were intended to provide housing assistance to our most at-risk populations – low-income, disabled, and elderly United States citizens.”

The Department of Homeland Security used Orovio-Hernandez’s case last year to advertise how it updated the so-called Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements program, meant to stop voter fraud.

“Illegal aliens have exploited outdated systems to defraud Americans & taint our elections,” DHS stated in a social media post last spring, around the time of Orovio-Hernandez’s indictment.