The Perils of SSDI Fraud




In the district of New Hampshire, a Hudson women plead guilty to crimes related to social security benefits. Specifically, a women named Jane B. Smith pleaded guilty in federal court on Thursday October 7th, 2021 to the charge of attempted wire fraud and also for making false statements. Although the percentage of American who received benefits from disability fraud is very low, it is important to remember that these crimes do happen, and to remember that there are strict penalties for those who get caught trying to defraud the system. Hence, if you find yourself in a tricky situation regarding social security disability insurance and want to make sure that your application for benefits is legitimate, you should hire a Social Security Lawyer to review your application.

Circumstances of Jane’s Fraud

According to court documents, Jane began receiving social security disability insurance payments in 1993. She continued to receive the payments for many years, however, between 2007 and 2018, Jane worked for multiple employers and failed to report her employment to the administration. One of the jobs that Jane worked was at the IRS. Over this 11 year period, the social security administration (SSA) learned of Jane’s employment and suspended her benefits numerous times within such a period.

Then in February 2018, Jane made a claim to the Nausha Police Department that he was the victim of identity theft and that someone else used her name in regards to her business. Specifically, she made this claim by filing a false policy report. It is also important to mention that she made other false statements to the IRS and the Social Security Administration (SSA) in an effort to secure benefits (even though she was not entitled to receive those benefits).

Admitting Her Mistake

Then, three years later in February 2021, Jane admitted to certain federal agents that she had in fact made the false claims (described above). Specifically, she falsely claimed to be the victim of identity theft in order to receive benefits, all of which had totaled to over $90,000. She is scheduled to be sentenced on January 13th, 2022. Therefore, putting any criminal charges aside, it would have been prudent for her to hire a social security lawyer.

Overall, by lying about her employment and also falsely claiming to be a victim of identity theft, Jane showed that she intentionally tried to exploit these benefit programs in order to receive certain benefits. Therefore, it is important for federal agencies and citizens alike to be aware of people trying to take advantage of the system. While SSDI benefits can provide financial benefits for qualified individuals, some people (usually sophisticated criminals) try to dupe the professionals in the system. Sometimes these criminals get away with such schemes, however, most of the time they get caught, facing severe consequences in response. This case had been investigated by the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General, and also by the United States Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration. In conclusion, if you feel as if you are not sure how to fill out an application for benefits, or are not sure about what information to give the agency, it is imperative that you hire a competent social security lawyer who can help you navigate the complex system, thereby preventing future issues regarding fraud.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Understanding the Payment Schedule for Social Security Disability in San Antonio: SSDI for Individuals with PTSD

Understanding SSDI for Individuals with Huntington’s Disease in Philadelphia

Social Security Disability Extra Benefits: Administrative Law Judges