A Central Florida woman has been sentenced for passport fraud, food stamp fraud, and identity theft.
U.S. District Judge Carlos E. Mendoza has sentenced 38-year-old Nilda Medina-Veguilla, of Kissimmee, to 31 months in federal prison for making a false statement in a U.S. passport application, aggravated identity theft, and theft of government property. As part of her sentence, the court also entered an order of forfeiture in the amount of $39,088, the proceeds of the charged criminal conduct.
According to court documents, Medina-Veguilla is a U.S. citizen who was born in Puerto Rico. In 2005, she was charged with counterfeiting and illegal appropriation by Puerto Rican authorities. In 2008, a warrant was issued for her arrest.
That same year, Medina-Veguilla moved to the continental U.S. and obtained an identification card and then a Florida driver license in the name of identity theft victim “N.T.D.” Medina-Veguilla held herself out as N.T.D. for approximately 15 years, using N.T.D.’s identity when getting married and divorced, for criminal arrests, for employment and tax purposes, to receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, and to obtain a U.S. passport.
On February 23, 2021, Medina-Veguilla applied for a U.S. passport at the South Creek Post Office in Orlando. On that application, she used N.T.D.’s name, date of birth, and Social Security number. For proof of citizenship and identity, Medina-Veguilla submitted a copy of N.T.D.’s Puerto Rico birth certificate and a Florida driver license which she had fraudulently obtained.
On numerous occasions between 2013 and 2022, Medina-Veguilla applied for SNAP benefits using addresses in the Middle District of Florida. 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 N.T.D. in the applications. As a result of her illegal activities, Medina-Veguilla obtained and used $$39,088 in SNAP benefits.
The SNAP is a program of the United States Department of Agriculture that was authorized by Congress to help low-income individuals and families by providing monthly benefits with which to buy food. These benefits were formerly called “food stamps.”
This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, the U.S. Department of Agriculture – Office of Inspector General, and the Social Security Administration – Office of the Inspector General. It was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Rachel S. Lyons. The forfeiture is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Nicole Andrejko. Medina-Veguilla entered a guilty plea on September 7, 2023.
