Man, 86, accused of assuming dead brother’s identity in 1965 convicted of several charges

PORTLAND, Maine — An 86-year-old man accused of assuming his brother’s id a long time in the past and utilizing it to double dip on Social Safety advantages has been convicted of a number of expenses, caught by facial recognition expertise that matched the identical face to 2 totally different identities, authorities say.

Napoleon Gonzalez, of Etna, assumed the id of his brother in 1965, 1 / 4 century after his sibling’s dying as an toddler, and used the stolen id to acquire Social Safety advantages underneath each identities, a number of passports and state identification playing cards, regulation enforcement officers mentioned.

A U.S. District Courtroom jury in Bangor on Friday convicted him of mail fraud, Social Safety fraud, passport fraud and identity theft. Mail fraud carries the best potential jail sentence, as much as 20 years.

His lawyer mentioned Tuesday that he intends to enchantment and can search to maintain Gonzalez out jail till the first U.S. Circuit Courtroom of Appeals points a ruling.

Gonzalez’s advantages have been beforehand investigated by the Social Safety Administration in 2010 for potential fraud and his advantages have been upheld.

A brand new investigation was launched in 2020 after facial identification software program indicated Gonzalez’s face was on two state identification playing cards.

The facial recognition expertise is utilized by the Maine Bureau of Motor Autos to make sure nobody obtains a number of credentials or credentials underneath another person’s identify, mentioned Emily Prepare dinner, spokesperson for the secretary of state’s workplace.

“When fraud is detected, the fraudulent transactions are investigated and referred for administrative and/or legal proceedings. That’s what occurred with this case,” she mentioned.

When confronted, Gonzalez claimed that he took on his deceased brother’s id on the course of the Air Power’s Workplace of Particular Investigations whereas taking part in an undercover operation within the Sixties, in keeping with courtroom paperwork. He later admitted to faking his dying underneath his personal id and persevering with along with his brother’s id, the paperwork indicated.

A sentencing date has not but been set for Gonzalez, who stays free.

His lawyer, Harris Mattson, mentioned he would not suppose the federal government proved the entire parts of the a number of counts towards his shopper, and he questioned the knowledge of the imposition of a prolonged jail sentence for his shopper at his superior age.

Mattson mentioned it is ironic that it could value extra for his shopper to be imprisoned than the price of the twin advantages he had been receiving.

“On the age of 86, he doesn’t know the way for much longer he has to stay. He might simply be in jail for the remainder of his life,” Mattson mentioned.