U.S. Attorney’s Office, Western District of Pennsylvania JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – A resident of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, was sentenced in federal court to five years of probation on her conviction of theft of government funds, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today. United States District Judge Stephanie L. Haines imposed the sentence on Patty Merlo, 66.…

U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Louisiana New Orleans – JOHN JOSEPH KEIPER, JR. (“KEIPER”), age 57, a resident of Lacombe, La., was sentenced on March 18, 2025, by United States District Judge Brandon S. Long, after previously pleading guilty to threatening a federal employee, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 115(a)(1)(B), announced Acting United States…

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 24, 2025 Media Inquiries: oig.press@ssa.gov A recent Office of the Inspector General (OIG) audit report found that Social Security Administration (SSA) employees did not properly process 57 percent of the Manager-to-Manager (M2M) requests randomly sampled. The audit report demonstrates SSA did not have adequate controls to address complex cases, ensure communications…

U.S. Attorney’s Office, Western District of Washington Tacoma – A 50-year-old resident of Westport, Washington, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Tacoma to Social Security Fraud, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller. Derek Gochanour admitted that he failed to tell the Social Security Administration that he was able to work, and illegally collected…

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 21, 2025 Media Inquiries: oig.press@ssa.gov OIG Report: FY 2024 Assessment of the Social Security Administration’s Charge Card Programs A report issued February 28, 2025, found the risk of illegal, improper, and erroneous purchases made through the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) charge card programs is low. The assessment by SSA’s Office of…

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 21, 2025 Media Inquiries: oig.press@ssa.gov The Social Security Administration’s (SSA) documented causes for issuing overpayments in its two payment programs.  SSA OIG issued an informational report on Feb 20, 2025, that indicates that the largest cause to overpayments I beneficiaries untimely reporting of information that affected their benefits. The report reviewed…

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 20, 2025 Media Inquiries: oig.press@ssa.gov The Social Security Administration (SSA) Office of the Inspector General auditors determined SSA Processing Center 8 accurately processed 33.7 percent of the sample cases reviewed. For the remaining 66.3 percent, Processing Center 8 staff did not always comply with SSA policies and the screening guide. Further,…

U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Georgia NEWNAN – Timmy S. Stephens has been sentenced for stealing money intended as disability benefits from the Social Security Administration.  For approximately 20 years, Stephens claimed that he was disabled in order to receive benefits all while he worked at a local funeral home.  “Stephens perpetrated a two-decades…

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 19, 2025 Media Inquiries: oig.press@ssa.gov Receiving accurate reports of death is a major and ongoing concern for the Social Security Administration (SSA). A recent report by the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) illustrates the need for SSA to continue to improve its death reporting processing systems. According to the report…

U.S. Attorney’s Office, Middle District of Florida Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Roy B. Dalton, Jr. has sentenced Richard Sauls (64, Daytona Beach) to nine months in federal prison for theft of government property and making false statements to a federal agency. As part of his sentence, Sauls must also pay restitution to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.…