A Maryland man has been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of theft of government property and passport fraud. Jorge Echeverri, 73, from Port Tobacco, Maryland, faces allegations that include false statements, social security misuse, and making a false statement of citizenship.
The announcement was made by Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland. The indictment is supported by Michael S. McCarthy from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), David Richeson from the Department of State's Diplomatic Security (DSS), Washington Field Office, and Collen Lawlor from the Social Security Administration's Office of Inspector General (SSA-OIG) – Philadelphia Field Division.
According to the indictment details, Echeverri, originally a Colombian national, entered the United States illegally in 1972 and was deported three times before re-entering unlawfully between 1985 and 1987. He reportedly assumed a fraudulent identity using a Puerto Rican birth certificate to live as Pedro Torres Rivera, under which he applied for and received retirement benefits from May 2010 through January 2025. Additionally, he is accused of applying for a U.S. Passport and voting in the 2020 and 2024 presidential elections while misusing a Social Security number.
If found guilty, Echeverri could face up to ten years for passport fraud and another ten years for theft of government property. However, actual sentences are often less than the maximum penalties due to federal sentencing guidelines and other factors considered by judges.
U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the efforts of HSI’s Document Benefit Fraud/El Dorado Task Force, DSS, and SSA-OIG in their investigation into this case. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Kertisha Dixon is prosecuting.
For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office and its community resources, visit www.justice.gov/usao-md or https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
