A Houston woman has admitted to what prosecutors describe as a decades-long scheme: using a U.S. citizen’s Social Security number to obtain immigration documents and access federal benefits. Ana Silvia Garcia, 62, whom authorities say had been living in Houston without legal status, pleaded guilty to theft of government funds and aggravated identity theft, federal prosecutors said.
According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas, prosecutors say Garcia began using the victim’s Social Security number in 1992 to file immigration petitions for relatives and enroll in disability and Medicare programs. The office says she unlawfully collected more than $278,000 in benefits from 2013 through February 2026 and admitted her true identity after authorities arrested her in February.
Investigators with the Social Security Administration’s Office of Inspector General and the Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service led the probe, with Homeland Security Investigations assisting, the announcement posted on X says. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie Bauman is prosecuting the case, according to the same post.
The guilty plea marks the latest enforcement action in the Southern District targeting identity and benefits fraud in the Houston area; Houston SSA insider sentenced for $3.3M references a February case in which an agency employee was convicted of redirecting survivor benefits. Local coverage suggests prosecutors have recently intensified efforts against schemes that exploit federal benefit programs.
Court date and potential penalties
Garcia is scheduled for sentencing on July 2 before U.S. District Judge Charles R. Eskridge and will remain in custody until the hearing. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, she faces up to 10 years in federal prison for theft of government funds, along with a mandatory consecutive two-year sentence for aggravated identity theft.
How prosecutors say the scheme worked
Prosecutors say Garcia used the stolen Social Security number to file immigration petitions for family members and to collect benefits she was not entitled to receive. “Theft of an American citizen’s identity will not be tolerated,” the office said on X, adding that the case forms part of broader Department of Justice efforts to crack down on fraud targeting federal benefit programs, according to a post on X.
Federal prosecutors say the case aims to send a clear warning that authorities are prepared to dismantle even long-running schemes that siphon taxpayer dollars and exploit public benefit systems. The July sentencing will bring this chapter in Houston’s recent wave of federal fraud cases to a close and could add prison time on top of an expected immigration removal process.
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