The long-running double life of a 72-year-old man who spent decades hiding from a 1970s arrest under a fake name has finally caught up with him. On Thursday in federal court in San Diego, Leslie Kay Peterson admitted he lived for years in La Paz, Mexico as “Ronald Allen Steele,” obtained a U.S. passport and Social Security benefits with forged documents, and agreed to reimburse the Social Security Administration for more than $130,000. He now faces sentencing in April.
How He Built A Second Life
According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of California, Peterson told prosecutors he used a forged birth certificate in the late 1970s to secure a new Social Security number, then stepped into the name Ronald Allen Steele after violating probation tied to an earlier case.
Prosecutors say that a new identity became his ticket to a fresh paper trail. Using the Steele name, he obtained a U.S. passport that was issued in Honduras, then later applied for Retirement Insurance Benefits from the Social Security Administration while living as a permanent resident in La Paz. The U.S. Attorney’s Office states those benefits started flowing to him under the Steele identity in 2018.
Border Arrest And The Records That Followed
The charade unraveled at the border. Peterson was arrested on Nov. 23, 2025, when authorities say he tried to re-enter the United States from Mexico using the fraudulently issued Steele passport.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection records cited in the criminal complaint show the Steele passport was anything but idle, logging dozens of crossings. In total, 76 entries into the United States are listed, according to CBS 8.
Prosecutors also told the court that a 2025 passport application submitted at a Chula Vista post office, this time under Peterson’s real name, may have helped spark the investigation that pulled his two identities together.
Case Details, Restitution And What Comes Next
As part of his plea agreement, Peterson consented to repay $130,632.80 to the Social Security Administration for the benefits he received as Steele. Sentencing is scheduled for April 3, before U.S. District Judge Robert S. Huie.
He pleaded guilty to Social Security fraud (42 U.S.C. § 408(a)(4)) and passport fraud (18 U.S.C. § 1542). Those statutes carry significant maximum penalties, although federal sentencing guidelines and the specifics of the plea agreement will ultimately shape any prison term.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the case was investigated by the Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service and the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David Kete and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey D. Hill.
Peterson remains in custody as the court awaits a pre-sentencing report and arguments from both sides. His guilty plea closes the book on the factual allegations, but the judge will write the final chapter on his punishment in April.
