DOJ Details Results of Fraud Crackdown - U.S. Dapartment ofJustice
In a press release from its Office of Public Affairs, the U.S. Department of Justice outlined the results of a one-month, focused criminal investigation surge in which it brought charges against 17 defendants alleged to have committed fraud against Social Security. The total value of the fraud cases exceeded $1.3 million.
“The Social Security Administration’s benefits programs are meant to safeguard America’s elderly and most vulnerable — not to bankroll fraudsters,” said Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald of the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division. “Every dollar stolen is a dollar taken from a retiree’s medicine, meals, or housing. These cases represent just a fraction of the fraud we are aggressively pursuing every day. The egregious facts uncovered in these cases underscore why our mission to combat fraud — large or small — is vital to protecting public trust and ensuring justice.”