Woman sentenced in Social Security thefts

March 9, 2012

After she was no longer entitled to the Social Security Disability money, a 51-year-old Hyannis woman illegally collected her children’s Disability checks, according to the Barnstable-Hyannis Patch.

In October 2011, she pleaded guilty to three counts of theft of government property for taking $74,643 in Disability benefits and was sentenced on Thursday to serve 15 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. She also was ordered to pay restitution to the Social Security Administration.

She had had relationships with two different men who were entitled to Social Security Disability payments between 1992 and 2010.

From these two relationships, the woman had three children, who were determined by the Social Security Administration to be eligible for Auxiliary Disability benefits through their fathers. Because the children were minors, their mother had become their representative payee and had received the payments on their behalf.

Soon after the Social Security Disability benefits started, each of the three children began living with others.  Thus, their mother was no longer eligible to be their representative payee.

The mother never notified the Social Security Administration, and for several years, she has continued to receive her children’s Social Security Disability benefits and use them for her own purposes.

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If you or someone you know needs help with Social Security Disability benefits, contact the Social Security Disability lawyers at Fleschner, Stark, Tanoos & Newlin.