Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson has recently announced the sentencing of Nathaniel Hopkins Jr., a 48-year-old resident of Louisiana. On February 18, 2025, Hopkins pleaded guilty to the charge of Theft of Government Funds and has been sentenced to three years of probation.
According to a news release from the Office of the Inspector General, court documents have revealed that Hopkins’s wife was authorized to receive Social Security Administration (SSA) Title II – Retirement Survivor Insurance Benefits from 2003 until her passing in April 2014. Surprisingly, Hopkins continued to receive his deceased wife’s benefits, amounting to approximately $144,176.43, from April 2014 to January 2024. Moreover, he unlawfully accessed $3,200.00 in COVID-19/CARES Act stimulus funds from her bank account.
As part of his probation, Hopkins must reimburse the U.S. Social Security Administration with $144,176.43 and the U.S. Treasury with $3,200.00. Additionally, he is obliged to pay a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.