Tioga County Man Charged with Supplemental Security Income Fraud and Aggravated Identity Theft

From the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of New York:

SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – An individual indicted under the name John Doe, age unknown, of Owego, New York, was arrested on Wednesday on charges of Supplemental Security Income (SSI) fraud and aggravated identity theft. The charges relate to Doe’s use of the name, Social Security number, and date of birth of another person to apply for and obtain SSI benefits to which he was not entitled, beginning in 1999 and continuing through the present. Doe’s true identity has yet to be confirmed.

The announcement was made by United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and John F. Grasso, Special Agent in Charge of the Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General, New York Field Office.

Doe was arraigned on the indictment in United States District Court in Syracuse, New York and was ordered detained pending trial to be scheduled at a later date.

If convicted of SSI fraud, Doe faces a maximum term of imprisonment of five years, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised of up to three years. If convicted of aggravated identity theft, Doe faces a mandatory minimum sentence of two years in federal prison. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.

The charges in the indictment are merely accusations. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

This case is being investigated by the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General, the Tioga County Sheriff’s Office, and the Tioga County Department of Social Services and is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Adrian S. LaRochelle.