Man Admits Using False Identity for Decades to Evade Arrest and Collect Social Security

U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of California

SAN DIEGO – Leslie Kay Peterson, a U.S. citizen who was living in La Paz, Mexico, pleaded guilty in federal court today to fraud charges, admitting that he created a false identity in the 1970s to evade a warrant for his arrest and illegally collect social security.

In his plea agreement, Peterson, 72, admitted that he used a forged birth certificate to apply for a new social security number under the name “Ronald Allen Steele” to avoid arrest after he violated terms of his probation for robbery in 1978.

The Social Security Administration assigned “Steele” a social security number in 1978, and after fleeing the country, Peterson used his new false identity to apply for a United States passport in Honduras. In 2018, Peterson applied for Retirement Insurance Benefits from the Social Security Administration as “Steele” and collected his benefits while living as a permanent resident in Mexico.

Once officials discovered his deception, Peterson was arrested while crossing the border on November 23, 2025, using the fraudulently issued passport in the “Steele” identity. He has remained in custody since his arrest.

As a part of his plea agreement, Peterson has agreed to pay restitution to the Social Security Administration in the amount of $130,632.80, representing all money fraudulently paid to him as “Ronald Allen Steele” since 2018.  Sentencing is scheduled for April 3, 2026, at 9:00 a.m., before U.S. District Judge Robert S. Huie.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David Kete and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey D. Hill.