Burlington woman faces deportation after applying for cable

Published 11:10 AM EST Dec 12, 2012



BURLINGTON, N.C. — A Burlington mother is facing deportation back to her native Mexico after she tried to use a fake Social Security card to apply for cable television service.



The Burlington Times-News reported Wednesday that 26-year-old Lorena Yanez-Mata was arrested in July by an off-duty Burlington police officer working security for Time Warner Cable. Yanez-Mata was handcuffed and charged with felony obtaining property by false pretense.

That charge was dropped by Alamance County prosecutors this week, but the arrest brought Yanez-Mata to the attention of federal immigration officials. She faces a deportation hearing in Charlotte scheduled for Thursday.
Yanez-Mata has a 7-year-old daughter and has lived in the United States without proper authorization since 2004. She had no criminal record prior to the July arrest.