Teaneck Woman Assumes Dead Brother's ID To Get $20G In Social Security, Authorities Charge Teaneck Woman Assumes Dead Brother's ID To Get $20G In Social Security, Authorities Charge
Teaneck Woman Assumes Dead Brother's ID To Get $20G In Social Security, Authorities Charge A home health care worker from Teaneck assumed her dead brother’s identity to collect more than $20,000 in Social Security disability money, authorities charged. Wanda Lynn Sermon, 55, “failed to notify the Social Security Administration of her brother’s death and instead assumed control of his bank account,” Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said Wednesday. For the next 16 months, Musella said, Sermon “continued to access Social Security disability benefit funds intended for [him],” pocketing $20,438 in the process. Detectives from his Financial Crimes Unit began investigating this su…
Don't Fall For It: Police Issue Alert For Social Security Scam Don't Fall For It: Police Issue Alert For Social Security Scam
Don't Fall For It: Police Issue Alert For Social Security Scam Alarm bells are sounding for law enforcement agencies as a new Social Security scam continues making the rounds as opportunistic fraudsters look to exploit the elderly. An alert was issued by police agencies in New York after they received multiple reports of scammers impersonating Social Security Administration (SSA) employees over the phone requesting personal information or money. Police said that some of the imposters have made threats or demanded immediate payment to help their victims avoid arrest or potential legal action. Officials noted that SSA employees will never threaten anyon…
Bucks Man Claiming To Be Navy SEAL Scams VA Out Of $300K Bucks Man Claiming To Be Navy SEAL Scams VA Out Of $300K
Bucks Man Claiming To Be Navy SEAL Scams VA Out Of $300K A Bucks County man was sentenced to three years and four months in prison for falsely identifying as a military hero in order to receive federal government benefits, authorities said. In July 2020, Richard Meleski, 58, pleaded guilty to one count of healthcare fraud, two counts of mail fraud, one count of stolen valor, and related charges, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. The Chalfont resident was accused of fraudulently claiming to have served as an elite Navy SEAL and falsely saying that he had been captured by the enemy in order to secure healthcare benefits from the Vet…
Massachusetts Woman Sentenced For Stealing Social Security Benefits Massachusetts Woman Sentenced For Stealing Social Security Benefits
Massachusetts Woman Sentenced For Stealing Social Security Benefits A Massachusetts woman has been sentenced in federal court in Worcester to stealing Social Security benefits from her dead mother-in-law. Former Worcester County resident Sue E. Delaney, age 68, who was a resident of Luneburg, was sentenced to six months of home confinement and two years of probation on Tuesday, Aug. 10, said the state US Attorney's Office. Delaney was also ordered to pay $221,656 in restitution to the Social Security Administration.  Delaney pleaded guilty in April to one count of conspiracy and one count of theft of public funds. “Delaney purposefully failed to repo…
Prosecutor: Bergen Woman, 73, Created Bogus Identity To Scam $37,000 In Social Security Funds Prosecutor: Bergen Woman, 73, Created Bogus Identity To Scam $37,000 In Social Security Funds
Prosecutor: Bergen Woman, 73, Created Bogus Identity To Scam $37,000 In Social Security Funds A 73-year-old Bergen County woman created a false identity to fraudulently pocket $37,000 in federal benefits, authorities said Thursday. Yun J. Kim of Ridgefield Park produced a Social Security number, a U.S. passport and a non-driver ID to apply for an receive supplemental security benefits that she wasn’t entitled to, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. Kim was charged with theft by deception and tampering with public records following an investigation by Musella’s detectives with assistance from the New York field offices of the Social Security Administration’s Office of the Ins…
FEDS: India-Based Phone Scammers Admit Conning Elderly NJ Victims Out Of $600,000 FEDS: India-Based Phone Scammers Admit Conning Elderly NJ Victims Out Of $600,000
Feds: India-Based Phone Scammers Admit Conning Elderly NJ Victims Out Of $600,000 Two Indian nationals admitted Wednesday that they conned mostly elderly New Jersey victims out of $600,000 through a variety of phone scams, including posing as government officials and online support techs. Zeeshan Khan, 22, and Maaz Ahmed Shamsi, 24, operated India-based call centers that made robocalls to mostly elderly U.S. residents, Acting U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Rachael A. Honig said. Once contact was made, members of the international ring “would coerce or trick the victims into sending large sums of cash through physical shipments or wire transfers to other members of the cons…
Trump Holdover From Northern Westchester Fired By Biden Says He Won't Leave Government Post Trump Holdover From Northern Westchester Fired By Biden Says He Won't Leave Government Post
Trump Holdover From Northern Westchester Fired By Biden Says He Won't Leave Government Post A Westchester County resident who was serving as the Social Security commissioner after being appointed to the post by former President Donald Trump said he won't leave his post, despite being fired by President Joe Biden. The Washington Post reported that Andrew Saul, who had been working remotely from his home in Katonah, said he was blindsided by his firing. His term was set to end in 2025.  Saul's access to agency computers was cut off on Monday, July 12, the day his acting successor, Kilolo Kijakazi, took over, The Washington Post said.  Experts told the Post that …
Feds: Sussex Man Admits Spending $5.6M COVID Relief Money On Stock Market, Luxury Vehicle, More Feds: Sussex Man Admits Spending $5.6M COVID Relief Money On Stock Market, Luxury Vehicle, More
Feds: Sussex Man Admits Spending $5.6M COVID Relief Money On Stock Market, Luxury Vehicle, More A Sussex County man who was seized by federal agents as he tried to board a flight to Pakistan admitted fraudulently collecting $5.6 million in federal COVID-19 pandemic business loans that he put to personal use, authorities said. Azhar Sarwar Rana, 30, of Newton, used the money -- designed to keep struggling small businesses afloat during the pandemic – to millions in the stock market, make a payment to a luxury car dealership and send hundreds of thousands of dollars to accounts in Pakistan, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said. Rana submitted an application for a stimulus loan und…
Long Island Man Fraudulently Obtained $200K In Disability Benefits, NY AG Says Long Island Man Fraudulently Obtained $200K In Disability Benefits, NY AG Says
Long Island Man Fraudulently Obtained $200K In Disability Benefits, NY AG Says A Long Island man is facing charges for allegedly collecting hundreds of thousands of dollars in Social Security disability benefits for the better part of a decade, the New York Attorney General said. AG Letitia James announced the arrest of Huntington resident Anthony Ragusa, age 50, who allegedly collected more than $200,000 in disability benefits from the Social Security Administration (SSA) between 2013 and 2020. It is alleged that during those seven years, Ragusa falsely represented to the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA) that he was unable to w…
Feds: Sussex Scammer Used Dead People’s Names To Collect $1.9M In COVID Relief Feds: Sussex Scammer Used Dead People’s Names To Collect $1.9M In COVID Relief
Feds: Sussex Scammer Used Dead People’s Names To Collect $1.9M In COVID Relief A Sussex County scammer identified people who’d been dead for years as business partners to help collect $1.9 million from the federal fund established to help struggling companies during COVID-19, authorities charged. John Jhong, 51, of Sparta, also submitted phony IRS documents with bogus Paycheck Protection Program applications to the lenders on behalf of 10 purported businesses, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said. Jhong converted a portion of the money intended for distressed businesses into a cashier’s check “that was used to fund a business account,” Honig said. Congress a ye…
CT Woman Sentenced For Theft Of Social Security Benefits CT Woman Sentenced For Theft Of Social Security Benefits
CT Woman Sentenced For Theft Of Social Security Benefits A Connecticut woman has been sentenced to three months in prison for illegally receiving Social Security benefits. Omayra Santiago, 44, of Waterbury, was sentenced on Thursday, Jan. 28, to prison time followed by three years of supervised release, said John Durham, U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut.d According to court documents and statements made in court, for approximately 13 years, Santiago received monthly Social Security benefits from the Social Security Administration in the form of Supplemental Security Income.   Santiago was the representative payee of her ch…
COVID-19: Feds Nab Fleeing Sussex Man Accused Of Pocketing $5.6M Small Biz Pandemic Loan COVID-19: Feds Nab Fleeing Sussex Man Accused Of Pocketing $5.6M Small Biz Pandemic Loan
Covid-19: Feds Nab Fleeing Sussex Man Accused Of Pocketing $5.6M Small Biz Pandemic Loan A Sussex County man who collected $5.6 million in federal COVID-19 pandemic loans that he wasn't entitled to was about to board a flight to Pakistan when federal agents arrested him, authorities said. Azhar Sarwar Rana, 30, of Newton, took the money -- designed to keep struggling small businesses afloat during the pandemic – and invested millions in the stock market, made a payment to a luxury car dealership and sent hundreds of thousands of dollars to accounts in Pakistan, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito said. Rana submitted an application for a stimulus loan under the federal Paycheck Prote…