US Department of Justice. Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Carlos Ramon Obregon was 14 when he was killed in Los Angeles in 1977, but his identity resurfaced more than two decades later in a fraud case spanning 25 years. An unidentified man used Obregon’s personal details to obtain identification documents and government benefits worth about $284,000, according to the US Department of Justice . The man was convicted by a federal jury in May 2026 and sentenced in August to 61 months in prison. Court records and evidence presented at trial showed that the identity theft began in 2000, 23 years after Obregon’s death. Between 2004 and 2025, he fraudulently received about $177,000 in Supplemental Security Income, or SSI, under Obregon’s identity, according to the Justice Department’s May 2026 conviction announcement. He also obtained approximately $91,000 in Medicaid benefits between 2005 and 2025. Together, those payments amounted to approximately $283,000 according to the May Justice Department release. At sentencing, the government placed the total at $283,977.40 and the court ordered that amount to be repaid as restitution. A federal jury in Pocatello heard the case during a 3-day trial in May 2026. On May 21, the jury found the defendant guilty of wire fraud, theft of government funds, aggravated identity theft and related charges, according to the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Idaho.
The defendant applied for a replacement Social Security card using Obregon’s Social Security number, date of birth and the names of his parents, according to the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Idaho. His real identity, however, remains unknown. The defendant went beyond obtaining a replacement Social Security card. The investigation involved several government agencies. The Justice Department credited the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General, the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service, the Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, the Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General and the Idaho Transportation Department.
