POCATELLO, Idaho — An unidentified man has been sentenced to five years in federal prison for using the identity of a deceased Los Angeles teenager to obtain nearly $300,000 in government benefits.
According to a press release from the U.S. District Attorney's Office for the District of Idaho, a federal jury sitting in Pocatello found the man guilty of wire fraud, theft of government funds, aggravated identity theft and related charges. The verdict came after a three-day trial in May 2026.
United States District Judge David C. Nye sentenced the unknown man to 61 months in prison and ordered him to pay 283,977.40 in restitution.
According to evidence and documents from the trial, the Defendant used the identity of Carlos Ramon Obregon, who was born in 1963 in Los Angeles. In 1977, Obregon was tragically killed at the age of 14 in a drive-by shooting.
Officials say the Defendant first applied for a replacement Social Security card using Obregon's information in 2000. The Defendant obtained a U.S. passport in 2012, which officials say he used to travel to Mexico before failing to successfully renew it in 2024. The man also obtained several Idaho state identification cards in 2002, 2010 and 2014, and a Star Card in 2022 using Obregon's birth certificate.
The Defendant's true identity has not been determined.
The U.S. Attorney's Office released that over 25 years, the Defendant used Obregon's identity to unlawfully obtain $177,000 in Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits, $91,000 in Medicaid benefits, $12,000 in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits and $3,200 in Economic Impact payments.
"Taxpayer funds are precious resources, and our office will fight to vigorously protect such funds,” U.S. Attorney Bart M. Davis said. “This sentence should send a strong message that stealing taxpayer funds and craven identity theft will be met with a thorough federal investigation, and a stiff sentence.”
