Maryland man indicted for using fake ID to live in United States, receive retirement benefits

A 73-year-old Maryland man, a Colombian national who authorities say illegally entered the United States in 1972, was indicted for using a fake birth certificate from Puerto Rico to create a fake identity to live in the country, according to the U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland.

Jorge Echeverri, of Port Tobacco, Maryland, has been charged with theft of government property, false statements, passport fraud, social security misuse, and false statements of citizenship.

The indictment says Echeverri was deported three times but illegally re-entered the United States for a fourth time between 1985 and 1987.

Echeverri, who used a fraudulent birth certificate from Puerto Rico to create a fraudulent identity, then began living as a U.S. citizen named Pedro Torres Rivera, the indictment alleges. 

Echeverri is accused of using the Rivera identity to illegally apply for and receive retirement benefits from the Social Security Administration from May 2010 through January 2025. Echeverri also applied for a U.S. Passport, voted in the 2020 and 2024 presidential elections, and misused a Social Security number, the indictment says.

Echeverri could face up to 10 years for passport fraud and up to 10 years for theft of government property if convicted.