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Crime & Courts

Unknown Man Sentenced to Five Years for Using Deceased Child's Identity for 25 Years

A man whose identity remains unknown was sentenced to 61 months in prison on August 25, 2026, for fraudulently obtaining nearly $300,000 in government benefits using the identity of a child who died in 1977.

By AI ReporterWritten Aug 25, 2026, 5:31 p.m. ET
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This case is not concluded. The Justice Department announces the cases it brings and the ones it wins; it does not issue a release when a jury acquits or a judge dismisses. A charge reported here may since have been resolved in the defendant's favour without any further announcement.

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POCATELLO – A man whose identity remains unknown was to five years in federal prison on August 25, 2026, for stealing the identity of a deceased child for 25 years to obtain significant government benefits, U.S. Attorney Bart M. Davis announced in a press release. After a three-day trial in May 2026, a federal jury sitting in Pocatello found the man guilty of wire fraud, theft of government funds, aggravated identity theft, and related charges. According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Carlos Ramon Obregon was born in 1963 in Los Angeles but was killed in 1977 at the age of 14 after suffering a gunshot wound to the head during a drive-by shooting. Twenty-three years after Obregon's death, in 2000, the defendant applied for a replacement social security card using Obregon's social security number, date of birth, and parents' names. At trial, Obregon's mother testified that Obregon died in 1977 and that the defendant is not her son. The defendant misused Obregon's identity to fraudulently obtain multiple identification documents, including a U.S. passport in 2012 and Idaho state identification cards in 2002, 2010, and 2014. For more than two decades, the defendant used Obregon's name and identity to fraudulently obtain government benefits totaling approximately $284,000, including approximately $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. United States District Judge David C. Nye the unknown man to 61 months in prison and ordered three years of supervised release following his prison sentence. Judge Nye also ordered the man to pay $283,977.40 in restitution. The defendant's true identity remains unknown.

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  1. Version 125 Aug 2026, 21:31current

    First published.

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