Social Security and Disability Law
Berkeley County Man Sentenced for Elder Financial Abuse
U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of West Virginia MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Joseph Beach, age 55, of Inwood, West Virginia, was sentenced today to 41 months in federal prison for fraudulently obtaining a quarter of a million dollars from his father. Beach pled guilty to one count of wire fraud in March 2024. According to…
Continue readingArmy Veteran Sentenced to Federal Prison For Over Three-Quarter Million Dollar Benefit Fraud
U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Kevin Paul McMains, 44, of Milton, Florida, has been sentenced to 33 months in federal prison after previously pleading guilty to one count of theft of government money and two counts of making false statements to a federal agency. The sentence was announced today by Jason…
Continue readingU.S. Attorney’s Office, Middle District of Florida Orlando, Florida – Following a bench trial, United States Magistrate Judge Embry J. Kidd has found Joshua Joseph Gray (45, New Smyrna Beach) and George Douglas Metz (51, Belleview) guilty of unlawfully video recording and failing to comply with official signs and directives inside multiple Social Security field offices. Gray…
Continue readingGainesville Man Sentenced To Federal Prison For Stealing Social Security Disability Benefits
U.S. Attorney’s Office, Middle District of Florida Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Steven D. Merryday today sentenced Keith Allen Courtney (53, Gainesville) to 13 months in federal prison for conspiracy. As part of his sentence, the court also entered an order of forfeiture in the amount of $71,208, the proceeds of conspiracy. Courtney pled guilty on April 12, 2024. According…
Continue readingRaleigh Woman Sentenced to 15 Months for Social Security Fraud
U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of North Carolina RALEIGH, N.C. – A Raleigh woman was sentenced to 15 months in prison for defrauding the Social Security Administration. On June 26, 2024, Mary Elizabeth Workman pled guilty to one count of theft of government funds. “Stealing from the system is stealing from those who truly need…
Continue readingWestwego Woman Sentenced For Theft of Government Funds
U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Louisiana NEW ORLEANS – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that PENELOPE PASSERO (“PASSERO”), age 50, of Westwego, Louisiana, was sentenced on December 10, 2024 for Theft of Government Funds, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 641. According to court documents, from February 2016 to December 2020, PASSERO knowingly accessed…
Continue readingPittsburgh Resident Sentenced and Ordered to Pay Restitution for Social Security Fraud
U.S. Attorney’s Office, Western District of Pennsylvania PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was sentenced in federal court on December 5, 2024, to 30 months of probation and ordered to pay $95,100 in restitution to the Social Security Administration (SSA) on a charge of theft of government property, United States Attorney Eric G.…
Continue readingLawrence Man Charged with COVID Relief and Social Security Fraud
U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Massachusetts BOSTON – A Lawrence man was charged today in federal court in Boston with scheming to fraudulently obtain and misuse COVID-19 relief funds and stealing Social Security benefits. Randolph Dominguez, 57, was charged with one count of wire fraud and one count of theft of government money. Dominguez will…
Continue readingFormer Regions Bank Manager Sentenced to 30 Months for Embezzlement and Bank Fraud Scheme
United States Attorney Ronald C. Gathe, Jr. announced that U.S. District Judge John W. deGravelles sentenced Eric Jason Schouest, age 53, of Plaquemine, Louisiana, to 30 months in federal prison following his convictions for embezzlement and bank fraud. The Court further sentenced Schouest to serve two years of supervised release following his term of imprisonment…
Continue readingFormer Social Security Administration Employee Admits to Role in Transnational “Grandparent Scam” Operated from Dominican Republic
U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of New Jersey NEWARK, N.J. – A New York man who previously worked as a claims specialist with the U.S. Social Security Administration admitted yesterday to acting as a courier for a Dominican Republic-based “grandparent scam” that targeted elderly Americans. Victor Anthony Valdez, 39, of the Bronx, New York, pleaded guilty…
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