From the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of South Dakota: RAPID CITY – United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Jeffrey L. Viken has sentenced a Belle Fourche, South Dakota, man convicted of Concealment of an Event Affecting Title II Disability Entitlement. The sentencing took place on July 17, 2023. Kevin…

From the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of New Jersey: CAMDEN, N.J. – Five individuals were charged for their roles in fraudulently obtaining federal Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans and Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) and for laundering the loan proceeds, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced today. Two other individuals pleaded guilty to fraudulently obtaining…

From the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Rhode Island: PROVIDENCE – A Providence man admitted to a federal judge that he fraudulently collected more than $230,000 in Social Security Administration (SAA) disability benefits in his own name, all the while continuing to work using another person’s identity, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha. Additionally,…

From the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Louisiana: NEW ORLEANS – DEDRA BRIGHT (“BRIGHT”), age 64, of New Orleans, Louisiana, was sentenced on July 5, 2023 to payment of restitution and probation for theft of government funds, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 641, announced United States Attorney Duane A. Evans.…

From the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Oregon: PORTLAND, Ore.—A felon who fled his parole on a murder conviction and moved to Oregon was sentenced to federal prison today for using stolen identities to apply for multiple Oregon driver’s licenses and making false statements while attempting to purchase multiple firearms. Johnny Lee Allen, 45, was…

From the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Western District of Louisiana: LAKE CHARLES, La. – A Eunice, Louisiana man has been sentenced in the Western District of Louisiana for theft of funds from the Social Security Administration, announced United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown. Scotty Paul Fournerat, 50, was sentenced by United States District Judge James D.…

From the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Massachusetts: BOSTON – A Winthrop man pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Boston to fraudulently obtaining a U.S. passport, and then using it to enter the United States from Istanbul, Turkey in 2021. Azem Gigo Zebic, 52, pleaded guilty to one count of use of a fraudulently…

From the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Western District of Pennsylvania: PITTSBURGH, PA – A resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on a charge relating to Social Security Fraud, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today. The one-count Indictment named Susan Mentser, age 70, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as…

From the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of California: SAN DIEGO – Donald Felix Zampach of Poway pleaded guilty in federal court today to money laundering and social security fraud, admitting that he fraudulently concealed his mother’s death for decades and that he received and then laundered hundreds of thousands of dollars in government benefits…

Download a PDF of this Press Release When the Social Security Administration (SSA) limited in-person services during the COVID-19 pandemic, customers relied on SSA’s telephone system for critical services – but the system often failed them, according to SSA Office of the Inspector General’s (OIG) June 21, 2023, report The Social Security Administration’s Telephone Service…