An illegal migrant allegedly used a child’s identity for several years and caused him to lose access to his Medicaid coverage.
Antonio De Jesus Moreno Escobar, who was living in Texas, was arrested by law enforcement officials after he was discovered to be using falsified documents to work different jobs and rake in health care benefits, Texas Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton announced Wednesday. The apprehension is the latest in Paxton’s ongoing work to root out illegal migrant fraud in the state.
“This case is a disturbing example of how illegal aliens drain our resources, hurt innocent Texans, and even deprive children of vital healthcare,” Paxton said in a public statement.
“My office will ensure that illegal aliens who exploit our systems and target our families face the full force of the law,” the attorney general continued.
Escobar allegedly scored bogus documents for $120, which included a stolen Social Security number, a fraudulent green card and a Texas ID card, according to Paxton. The illegal migrant then used a 13-year-old boy’s identity to obtain employment at seven different businesses across the Houston metro area over three years.
Law enforcement became aware of the fraudulent scheme after the boy’s mother was notified that his Medicaid coverage was being terminated over income fraudulently reported in his name. Escobar is now being held under an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainer.
The investigation was handled by the Texas Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU), a unit within the Texas Attorney General’s Office that investigates criminal fraud by Medicaid providers and abuse of patients in health care facilities funded by Medicaid, according to Texas officials. The office has been integral in assisting local and federal authorities with prosecution.
“Since 2020, the MFCU has recovered more than $1 billion in settlements, judgments, and restitution for Texas taxpayers,” The Texas Attorney General’s Office stated. “The MFCU receives 75 percent of its funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under a grant award totaling $22,792,664 for fiscal year 2024.”
“The remaining 25 percent, totaling $7,597,553, is funded by the State of Texas,” Paxton’s office continued. “Over the last 5 years, the OAG’s MFCU has achieved an extraordinary return on investment of 2,889 percent for Texas taxpayers.”
A longtime immigration hawk, Paxton has repeatedly gone after foreign nationals suspected of voting in U.S. elections and has worked to help remove illegal migrants from the country.
The Texas prosecutor in July revealed a sweeping investigation into 100 suspected noncitizens who allegedly cast over 200 ballots in the 2022 and 2020 election cycles. He sued Harris County, Texas, officials on Tuesday for their alleged role in allocating over $1.3 million in taxpayer money to defend illegal migrants from deportation and sued a “radical open-borders group” on Monday for allegedly registering illegal migrants to vote in Texas.
Paxton, first elected as the state’s attorney general in 2014, has served in the role for a decade. The Texas prosecutor is currently vying to oust Texas GOP Sen. John Cornyn in the 2026 midterms.
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