Although United States Social Security benefits are for all eligible beneficiaries, the truth is that sometimes there are irregularities within these beneficiaries. When this happens we can find that there are citizens who find ways to steal directly or indirectly from the SSA.
And that is what has happened with a Detroit woman, who has stolen more than $90,000 from the Social Security Administration through its programs. United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison has convicted this woman of this crime.
How did this woman steal $90,000 from Social Security?
Ernestine Hogue, a 73-year-old U.S. citizen at the time, directly stole more than $90,000 from the Social Security Administration through various monthly disability retirement checks. In addition, this is the fourth conviction this woman has had for some type of federal fraud.
In this particular case, between the years 2003 and 2015, Ernestine Hogue fraudulently got Social Security Disability checks through a false identity. This identity she was able to create through a second SSA number that she obtained illegally. She also provided the SSA with a large amount of false information in order to obtain these benefits.
In total, Ernestine Hogue obtained $91,461.60, according to official Social Security sources. Thus, she got a large amount of money without being entitled to it. She undoubtedly defrauded the SSA outright in order to live on far more money than she was entitled to.
Attorney Ison said, “This defendant worked (and lied about her work) while getting Social Security disability benefits, benefits intended for people who are unable to work. Our office stands ready to aggressively pursue those who steal from taxpayers and programs designed to help those in need.” Thanks to the work of special agents from the Social Security Inspector General’s Office, they have been able to put a stop to the theft of this money.
