An 86-year-old man from Maine has been found guilty of assuming his brother’s identity many years ago and using it to fraudulently receive Social Security benefits. The accused, Napoleon Gonzalez of Etna, adopted his deceased brother’s identity in 1965, a quarter-century after his brother’s death as an infant. He used this stolen identity to unlawfully obtain Social Security benefits, multiple passports, and state identification cards. Facial recognition technology played a crucial role in catching Gonzalez, as it matched his face to both identities, leading to his conviction.
A jury in the US District Court in Bangor convicted Gonzalez on Friday of mail fraud, Social Security fraud, passport fraud, and identity theft. Mail fraud carries the highest potential prison sentence of up to 20 years. While his attorney plans to appeal the verdict, Gonzalez’s benefits had already been investigated for potential fraud by the Social Security Administration in 2010, and they were upheld at that time. However, a new investigation was launched in 2020 when facial identification software indicated that Gonzalez’s face appeared on two state identification cards.
According to a press release from the Department of Justice, Gonzalez applied for Social Security retirement benefits in his own name in 1999 and in his brother’s name in 2001. In March 2020, the benefits assigned to Guillermo Gonzalez were suspended pending investigation. The release states that Gonzalez sent a letter to the Social Security Administration, masquerading as his deceased brother, inquiring about the suspension. He claimed in the letter that the COVID-19 pandemic had left him locked in his apartment and reliant on neighbors for essential supplies.
When confronted, Gonzalez initially alleged that he assumed his brother’s identity under the direction of the Air Force’s Office of Special Investigations during an undercover operation in the 1960s. However, court documents revealed that he later admitted to faking his own death and continuing to use his brother’s identity. Gonzalez’s sentencing date has yet to be determined, and he remains free for now.
(Read more stolen identity stories.)
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