According to the Office of Inspector General, on February 10, 2025, a 60-year-old New York State resident, Loretta Washington, was sentenced to 18 months in prison for social security fraud.
According to an announcement by United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Amy Connelly, Special Agent in Charge of the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General (SSA-OIG), New York Field Office.
As part of her guilty plea, Washington admitted to illegally collecting social security benefits intended for a minor child while acting as the child’s representative-payer.
A representative-payee is an individual or organization designated by the Social Security Administration to manage benefits for a recipient who is unable to do so themselves.
The case began in September 2018, when the Broome County Department of Social Services removed the child from Washington’s custody after the four-year-old was discovered wandering on a road in the middle of night.
Despite this, Washington failed to notify the Social Security Administration about the change in custody.
She continued to receive and use the benefits fraudulently, going so far as to falsely claim that the child was still in her care. As a result, she stole more than $25,000 in social security benefits from October 2018 to November 2021.
In addition to serving 18 months in prison, Washington will be placed on supervised release for three years and ordered to pay restitution to the Social Security Administration.
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