New York Woman Pleads Guilty to Committing Social Security Fraud

ROCHESTER, N.Y.-- U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr.  announced today that Cheryl Gurjansky, 49, of Irondequoit, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Charles J. Siragusa, to theft of government funds. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, a fine of $250,000 or both. Assistant U.S. Attorney Marisa J. Miller, who handled the case, stated that the defendant unlawfully obtained Social Security Insurance Survivor Benefits in the amount of approximately $24,600.  Gurjansky applied for benefits from the Social Security Administration for one of her minor children, following the death of her then-husband, while knowing that the child was not fathered by the deceased and thus was not entitled to such benefits. The plea is the culmination of an investigation on the part of Special Agents of the Social Security Administration - Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent In Charge Edward J. Ryan. Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 4, 2012, at 10 a.m. EST, in Rochester, N.Y., before Judge Siragusa.