Aracelis Cherico

Sarah Benitez, 44, had her identity stolen by a Manhattan con artist who claimed her children as dependents to get a tax break.

After Aracelis Cherico, 46, pleaded guilty yesterday to felony identity theft, a judge dissolved the bogus marriage.

Benitez didn't know Cherico had swiped her identity until she went to City Hall with her boyfriend of 25 years to get married and was denied.

The mother of three soon realized Cherico's scam could explain other baffling problems she's encountered - why she couldn't get a Macy's credit card and why she had to pay parking tickets on a car she never owned.