A woman in Florida is accused of living under a false identity for more than a decade and using the false name to collect nearly $40,000 in federal food benefits, federal officials said.

Now, she’ll spend years in prison.

The 38-year-old from Kissimmee was born in Puerto Rico and lived there until 2008, according to a Feb. 2 news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida.

An attorney representing the woman could not immediately be reached for comment by McClatchy News.

In 2005, the woman was charged with counterfeiting and illegal appropriation by law enforcement in Puerto Rico, federal officials said, but an arrest warrant wasn’t issued until three years later.

Instead of facing the warrant, the woman moved to the continental U.S. and used a stolen identity to create an “identification card” and a Florida driver’s license, federal officials said.

From 2008 to 2023, she lived her life under the false identity, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

She got married, and then later divorced, under the name, was arrested using the false name, used the name on employment records and tax forms and applied for federal benefits, officials said.

This included money through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps, over the period of nine years, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

“She completed online applications with information about her financial status and family situation and used the name, date of birth, and Social Security number of (the stolen identity) in the applications,” federal officials said.

During that time, she received $39,088 in SNAP benefits, officials said.

In February 2021, the woman applied for a U.S. passport in Orlando using the stolen information, federal officials said, and used the false forms of identification for her proof of citizenship.

The woman was taken into custody and indicted by a grand jury in June 2023, court documents show, and later pleaded guilty to three charges on Sept. 7.

On Jan. 17, she was sentenced to 31 months in federal prison on charges of making a false statement in a U.S. passport application, aggravated identity theft and theft of government property, court documents show.

The woman was also ordered to forfeit the benefit money, according to federal officials.

Kissimmee is about 25 miles south of Orlando.

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