Pennsylvania Man Convicted of Social Security Fraud, Wire Fraud
From the U.S. Attorney's Office, Middle District of Pennsylvania:
HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that Mohammed Rizk, age 53, Steelton, Pennsylvania, was convicted of fraudulently obtaining Social Security benefits and wire fraud. The jury returned a verdict of guilty after one and a half hours of deliberation following a four-day trial in Harrisburg before Chief United States District Court Judge Christopher C. Conner.
According to United States Attorney Bruce D. Brandler, Rizk obtained approximately $64,000 in benefits under the Social Security Administration’s Retirement, Survivors and Disability Insurance Program (RSDIP) between 2014 and 2015, by falsely representing that the minor children of his deceased spouse were living with him when in fact they were living elsewhere. Rizk, as representative payee, took the funds that the children were entitled to and converted them to his own use. Rizk was convicted of wire fraud for forging his minor daughter’s signature on insurance surrender documents, submitting the documents to Prudential insurance, and thereby fraudulently obtaining $57,982 in insurance proceeds left to the daughter by her deceased mother. Rizk thereby defrauded his two minor daughters out of approximately $122,000.
The government is also seeking forfeiture of the funds obtained through the fraud.
The case was investigated by the Social Security Administration’s Office of Inspector General and the Dauphin County District Attorney’s Office Criminal Investigation Division. Assistant United States Attorneys William A. Behe and Scott Ford prosecuted the case.
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"> From the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Middle District of Pennsylvania: </p>
HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that Mohammed Rizk, age 53, Steelton, Pennsylvania, was convicted of fraudulently obtaining Social Security benefits and wire fraud. The jury returned a verdict of guilty after one and a half hours of deliberation following a four-day trial in Harrisburg before Chief United States District Court Judge Christopher C. Conner.
According to United States Attorney Bruce D. Brandler, Rizk obtained approximately $64,000 in benefits under the Social Security Administration’s Retirement, Survivors and Disability Insurance Program (RSDIP) between 2014 and 2015, by falsely representing that the minor children of his deceased spouse were living with him when in fact they were living elsewhere. Rizk, as representative payee, took the funds that the children were entitled to and converted them to his own use. Rizk was convicted of wire fraud for forging his minor daughter’s signature on insurance surrender documents, submitting the documents to Prudential insurance, and thereby fraudulently obtaining $57,982 in insurance proceeds left to the daughter by her deceased mother. Rizk thereby defrauded his two minor daughters out of approximately $122,000.
The government is also seeking forfeiture of the funds obtained through the fraud.
The case was investigated by the Social Security Administration’s Office of Inspector General and the Dauphin County District Attorney’s Office Criminal Investigation Division. Assistant United States Attorneys William A. Behe and Scott Ford prosecuted the case.