From the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of New Jersey: CAMDEN, N.J. – An Atlantic County, New Jersey, man admitted laundering the proceeds of fraudulently obtained Paycheck Protection Program loans, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced today. Jeremy Earley, 41, of Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey, and Lilburn, Georgia, pleaded guilty on June 1, 2023, before…

U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Louisiana NEW ORLEANS – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that PENELOPE PASSERO (“PASSERO”), age 50, of Westwego, Louisiana, was sentenced on December 10, 2024 for Theft of Government Funds, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 641. According to court documents, from February 2016 to December 2020, PASSERO knowingly accessed…

U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Massachusetts BOSTON – A Lawrence man was charged today in federal court in Boston with scheming to fraudulently obtain and misuse COVID-19 relief funds and stealing Social Security benefits. Randolph Dominguez, 57, was charged with one count of wire fraud and one count of theft of government money. Dominguez will…

U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of New Jersey NEWARK, N.J. – A New York man who previously worked as a claims specialist with the U.S. Social Security Administration admitted yesterday to acting as a courier for a Dominican Republic-based “grandparent scam” that targeted elderly Americans. Victor Anthony Valdez, 39, of the Bronx, New York, pleaded guilty…

Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that on December 2, 2024, Maryann Manning, 63, of Wolcott, Vermont, was sentenced by Chief United States District Judge Christina Reiss to two years of probation. Chief Judge Reiss also ordered Manning to pay restitution to the Social Security Administration in…

NEWARK, N.J. – A Union County, New Jersey, man today admitted his role in a scheme to fraudulently obtain a Payroll Protection Program (PPP) loan, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced. Joseph McKeon, aka “Jay McKeon,” 54, of Westfield, New Jersey, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Julien Xavier Neals in Newark federal court to…

HOUSTON – A 39-year-old legal permanent resident (LPR) from India has been sentenced for conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani. Sohil Usmangani Vahora, Des Plaines, Illinois, pleaded guilty Oct. 23, 2023. U.S District Judge Andrew S. Hanen has now ordered him to serve 188 months in federal…

PORTLAND, Maine: A Berwick woman was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Portland for Social Security fraud. U.S. District Judge Nancy Torresen sentenced Suzanne Hercock, 47, to four years of probation and ordered her to pay $118,251 in restitution. Hercock pleaded guilty on May 24, 2024. According to court records, from about December 2008 to February…

LITTLE ROCK—Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, announced today that Roy David Lykins, 56, of Greenbrier, who fraudulently collected more than $249,000 from the Social Security Administration (SSA), was sentenced to 19 months in federal prison by United States District Judge Brian S. Miller. Lykins was also sentenced to…

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A former Harrisonville, Mo., man has been sentenced in federal court for Social Security fraud and for committing perjury when he testified at his trial. Michael Sylvara, 39, who currently lives and owns a business in Ozark, Mo., but lived in Harrisonville at the time of the offense, was sentenced by…