As spring approaches, more people around the country are being caught in Social Security-related crimes. Here’s a look at some of the arrests, indictments, and guilty pleas announced in recent weeks:
$880,000 Recovered From Scam
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for Massachusetts announced on February 3 that it had recovered $884,755 for the victims of a massive real estate fraud scam.
The perpetrator of the scheme had been arrested in 2017 and convicted the following year on seven counts of wire fraud, one count of aggravated identity theft, one count of misuse of a Social Security number, and one count of tax evasion. In fact, the man had been a fugitive for twenty years before his arrest.
“My office will diligently pursue financial recovery for our crime victims—even years after someone has been convicted and sentenced, we will continue our pursuit,” United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins said of the case. “These ill-gotten gains have finally been recovered and our efforts send an important message that crime does not pay.”
The convicted man has been ordered to pay $69,768 in restitution to the Social Security Administration.
Man Accused of Renting Guns With Stolen Information
The government alleges that a Michigan man who frequently bought and rented guns paid for the scheme with stolen Social Security funds, Fox 2 Detroit reported. The government is claiming that the guns were used in multiple crimes. The man’s girlfriend was arrested for the scheme as…
