2012 Alabama – Criminal Conviction – Venustiano Hernandez-Hernandez

Venustiano Hernandez-Hernandez, an illegal immigrant, registered to vote under the name Severo Benavidez in 1984 and voted in the 1996 and 2008 general elections, the 2002 primary election, and special elections in 2003 and 2009. After being deported in 1974, he obtained a false birth certificate, which he used to collect Social Security disability benefits and register to vote. As part of a plea deal, Hernandez-Hernandez admitted to having committed all of the charged conduct, and pleaded guilty to social security fraud and theft of public money (the voter fraud charges were dropped in exchange for his plea to the other charges). Prosecutors surmised that Hernandez-Hernandez received approximately $80,000 in disability payments between 2008 and 2012. As a result of his stolen identity, the real Severo Benevidez was denied Social Security payments. Hernandez-Hernandez was scheduled to be sentenced on December 17, 2012.