From the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Massachusetts BOSTON – A New Bedford man has been charged with stealing over $450,000 in disability benefits issued by the United States Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) intended for a 20-year veteran of the United States Marine Corps suffering from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).   Joseph Smith, 71, was…

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Threatening Letter Results in 20-Month Sentence of Incarceration A Louisiana man was sentenced to federal prison after pleading guilty to sending threatening communications to an SSA employee. According to court documents, James Gantt, age 55, received a 20-month prison sentence after he wrote and mailed a letter threatening injury to an Social…

From the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Connecticut Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that TROVOY DIXON, 31, of Bridgeport, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Vernon D. Oliver in Hartford to 24 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for laundering criminal proceeds of…

From the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Montana MISSOULA — An Elmo man accused of illegally receiving federal benefits by collecting his deceased mother’s Social Security payments and by not disclosing his assets, including proceeds from a dog grooming business, admitted to fraud and theft charges today, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said. The defendant, Gerry…

From the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Louisiana NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that TAMIKA CHAPPELL (“CHAPPELL”), age 40, of New Orleans, LA, pleaded guilty on May 23, 2024 before U.S. District Court Judge Carl J. Barbier to three-counts, including making false statements related to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act…

From the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Missouri ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Louis County, Missouri has been accused in an indictment of fraudulently obtaining $620,000 in COVID-19 pandemic loans and committing a separate fraud involving disability payments. Preston Randall, 59, was indicted in U.S. District Court in St. Louis May 15…

From the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Middle District of Florida Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Gregory A. Presnell has sentenced Michael Barrington Douglas (52, Winter Garden) to two years and one day in federal prison, followed by one year of supervised release, for aggravated identity theft and false representation of a Social Security number. As…

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE SSA Office Evacuated Due to Hoax by Disgruntled Recipient Atlanta – Keyon Tishaye Dickens, 38, a Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipient, who threatened employees at the Social Security Administration (SSA) field office in Augusta, Georgia, pled guilty to Using a Telephone to Make a Threat to Injure a Person or Damage a…

From the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of South Dakota RAPID CITY – United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that a Lead, South Dakota husband and wife convicted of Conspiracy to Defraud the United States have been sentenced to prison. The couple must also pay $211,564.17 in restitution. On May 15, 2024, U.S. Circuit…

From the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Georgia AUGUSTA, GA:  A Richmond County man entered a guilty plea to a federal charge related to a bomb threat targeting the Social Security Administration’s Augusta office. Keyon Tishaye Dickens, 38, of Augusta, pled guilty to Using a Telephone to Make a Threat to Injure a Person…