Saturday, December 15, 2012

A prosecutor says a plea deal has been reached in the case of an illegal immigrant who put a face to the growing problem of total identity theft.

A docket notation Friday shows a Jan. 7 hearing has been scheduled for Benita Cardona-Gonzalez in federal court in Wichita. The notice came the same day the prosecution amended charges to a single count of possessing fraudulent identification documents.

Cardona-Gonzalez's attorney did not return phone and email messages.

The Mexican national is accused of completely assuming the persona of a Houston elementary-school teacher, opening fraudulent credit and bank accounts, as well as using the identity to obtain a job, a driver's license, a house mortgage and medical care for the birth of two children.