Mingo County Woman Pleads Guilty to Federal Fraud Crimes
Jun 10, 2022
From the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of West Virginia:
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A Mingo County woman pleaded guilty today to theft of government benefits and making materially false statements to federal agents.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Diana Cisco, 69, of Delbarton, admitted that she received Social Security Administration (SSA) benefits on behalf of a deceased relative. Cisco knew that she was not entitled to receive these federal benefits. From June 2016 to April 2020, Cisco received $46,356 in federal benefits that she was not entitled to receive and converted those funds to her own use. Cisco further admitted that she did not have a legal right to these Social Security benefits once her relative passed away and that she knew her conduct in taking those benefits was wrong.
Cisco also admitted to providing false information to Social Security Administration-Office of Inspector General (SSA-OIG) special agents on March 4, 2022. Cisco initially denied who she was, falsely claiming to be her sister, and further informed the agents that Diane Cisco would be in Columbus, Ohio for at least a month. The federal agents were able to uncover the falsehood through checking vehicle registration records and photographs of Cisco and obtaining statements from individuals who had recently seen Cisco. Confronted again, Cisco admitted that she was not telling the agents the truth and that she was, in fact, Diana Cisco.
Cisco is scheduled to be sentenced on September 1, 2022, and faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $750,000 fine.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Social Security Administration-Office of Inspector General and the Social Security Administration.
United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Erik S. Goes is prosecuting the case.
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