Mexican stole American's identity 37 years ago

Tijuana’s Andres Avelino Anduaga pleaded guilty yesterday (March 1) to stealing the identity of an American citizen and collecting his Social Security benefits for 37 years. He admitted to illegally entering the country and stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars in federal, state, and local government benefits.

He swiped the identity in 1980 and used the victim’s birth certificate to apply for Social Security benefits and later disability payments. He received around $362,000 in Supplemental Security Income and health benefits during the period, along with CalFresh Supplemental Nutrition Assistance from San Diego County.

In 2015, he lied to federal agents, claiming he was a U.S. resident. He admitted that he freely traveled between the United States and Mexico using a passport he had stolen from the victim.