Unknown man sentenced to 5 years for assuming identity of boy killed in 1977
An unidentified man who assumed the identity of a 14-year-old California boy killed in a drive-by shooting in 1977 has been sentenced to 5 years in federal prison after using the boy’s name for 25 years to collect nearly thousands in government benefits.
A jury in Pocatello, Idaho, convicted the man in May of wire fraud, theft of government funds, aggravated identity theft and related charges. His true identity remains unknown.
Carlos Ramon Obregon was born in Los Angeles in 1963 and was killed at age 14 after being shot in the head during a drive-by shooting. He was buried in a Los Angeles cemetery in 1977.
In 2000, 23 years after Obregon’s death, the defendant applied for a replacement Social Security card using Obregon’s Social Security number, birth date and parents’ names.
Obregon’s mother testified at trial that her son died in 1977 and that she did not know the defendant. The man later obtained multiple identification documents in Obregon’s name, including Idaho identification cards and a Star Card.
In 2012, the defendant used Obregon’s birth certificate to obtain a U.S. passport and traveled to Mexico multiple times. He unsuccessfully tried to renew the passport in 2024.
The defendant received about $177,000 in Supplemental Security Income benefits, $91,000 in Medicaid benefits, $12,000 in SNAP benefits and $3,200 in economic impact payments, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Idaho.
“Identity thieves who exploit the identities of deceased Americans cause real harm,” said Jonathan P. Kazmar of the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service.
U.S. District Judge David C. Nye sentenced the unidentified man to 61 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered him to pay $283,977.40 in restitution.
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
