The Office of Inspector General recently reported that Loretta Washington, a 60-year-old resident of New York State, has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for social security fraud. This announcement was made by United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Amy Connelly, the Special Agent in Charge of the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General (SSA-OIG), New York Field Office.
Washington pleaded guilty to unlawfully collecting social security benefits that were meant for a minor child while she was acting as the child’s representative-payee. A representative-payee is someone who is appointed by the Social Security Administration (SSA) to handle benefits on behalf of a recipient who is unable to manage them independently.
The case began in September 2018 when the Broome County Department of Social Services took the child away from Washington after finding the four-year-old wandering on a road late at night. However, Washington neglected to inform the Social Security Administration about the change in custody. She continued to receive and misuse the benefits, even falsely stating that she still had custody of the child. As a result, she illegally obtained over $25,000 in social security benefits from October 2018 to November 2021.
On top of spending 18 months in prison, Washington will also be required to serve three years of supervised release and pay restitution to the Social Security Administration.