A Mexican national stole the identity of an American citizen and used it to bilk federal and local governments of more than $300,000 worth of disability benefits over more than 30 years, according to a plea entered Thursday in San Diego federal court.
The man — identified as 66-year-old Andres Avelino Anduaga — admitted that he assumed the identity of a Texas resident named Abraham Riojos in 1980, and then used Riojos’ information to apply for a California driver’s license, a Social Security number and a U.S. passport.
With those identification documents in hand, Anduaga applied for and received $361,000 in fraudulent benefits — which included Medi-Cal, food stamps and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) — from 1981 to 2016.
His biggest take was from SSI, which are transfer payments designed to help elderly, blind, and disabled people who cannot work.
Anduaga received $244,441 in SSI disability payments starting in 1988. – READ MORE
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