The Social Security Administration’s Office of the Inspector General is pretty clear about the types of potential fraud situations they investigate. For example, an investigation will ensue if there are suspicions that someone is receiving Social Security benefits for the following types of circumstances:a child that is not actually under that person’s care; working a job while claiming disability; continuing to receive and cash checks for the deceased or living overseas and receiving Supplemental Security Income Payment. A story published by the Billings Gazette tells about a woman who concealed the fact that she was married in order to receive monthly Social Security benefits checks.
The article states that the 53-year-old woman hid her marriage and her husband’s assets from the government for nearly 11 years. During that time she collected more than $68,000 in government benefits. (That works out to around $500 a month. Who wouldn’t like to have that much extra cash on a regular basis?)
The woman pleaded guilty to two counts of Supplemental Security Income benefits fraud. She was sentenced to one year in jail plus one year of supervised release and ordered to pay more than $68,000 in restitution, plus a $100 fine. (That was a pretty light sentence considering she was facing up to 10 years in prison until she struck a plea deal with state prosecutors.)
There’s no doubt that fraudsters are experts at concealing key evidence that might disclose their illegal activities. (However, it’s pretty hard to hide a grown man, especially for 11 years.) Let’s be clear: if the government thinks you are committing a fraudulent crime, you will eventually be caught and prosecuted.
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