New Jersey resident Nicholas Pao, 37, was charged in connection with allegedly stealing nearly $100,000 in Social Security benefits while he was a claims representative for the Social Security Administration.
According to a story that can be found on NJ.com, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said authorities arrested Pao Aug. 1 on charges of stealing government funds and committing aggravated identity theft, and he now faces up to 10 years in prison for his alleged crimes.
The news article reported that Pao used his position at Social Security to access at least five individual accounts to make changes that caused these beneficiaries to be awarded additional benefits. He would allegedly change mailing addresses to an alternate address near him and would collect special Social Security debit cards issued to the beneficiaries. The accounts in which Pao provided more benefits for were not entitled to extra benefits and authorities allege that Pao stole a total of $99,967 between December of 2014 and July of 2018.
Woman Accused Of Social Security Fraud
A Washington County Pennsylvania woman is also facing charges of misusing Social Security funds in connection with a Supplemental Security Income (SSI) fraud case.
Crystal Bell, 42, was indicted for allegedly using more than $15,000 worth of Social Security benefits while serving as a representative payee for an SSI beneficiary. Representative payees are appointed to oversee Social Security benefits for a person who is determined to be unable to manage their own finances. According to this report from the Pittsburgh Tribune Review, Bell used funds from a beneficiary’s bank account for her own use and allegedly falsified a document submitted to Social Security indicating the beneficiary lived with her when that was not the case. It is not know what penalties Bell is facing for the indictment on theft of government property.
