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3-year probation for woman who defrauded SSA
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Posted on Feb 08 2006
The federal court imposed yesterday a three-year probation on a woman convicted of collecting $18,711 in Social Security supplemental security income payments on behalf of a dead person for three years.
U.S. District Court Chief Judge Alex R. Munson also ordered defendant Dolores Tomokane to immediately pay restitution in the same amount to the Social Security Administration in Philadelphia through the clerk of court.
Munson directed the 57-year-old Tomokane to pay $100 in special assessment fee and required her to perform 300 hours of community work service.
The judge said the defendant shall make an effort to find a job in order to pay her restitution.
Assistant U.S. attorney Jamie Bowers recommended the probation sentence and full restitution payment during the hearing yesterday. Defense counsel attorney Joseph N. Camacho moved for a probation sentence.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation arrested Tomokane in June 2005. She was indicted on charges of theft of public money and failure to disclose an event affecting Social Security SSI payments with intent to defraud, and making false statement.
The defendant then entered a plea agreement with the U.S. government. She pleaded guilty to theft of public money, an offense that carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in jail, a $250,000-fine, and three years of supervised release.
As part of the agreement, the remaining charges were dismissed.
The prosecution said Tomokane collected and cashed 35 monthly SSI benefit payment checks totaling $18,711 for Sabino M. Apong, beginning May 2000 until April 2003. Bowers stated in the indictment that the defendant was the SSI representative payee for Apong, who died on May 3, 2000.
Bowers said that, from May 3, 2000, until April 2003, the defendant intentionally concealed the death of Apong in order to continue receiving the monthly SSI benefit payment checks issued by the Social Security Administration to Apong.
Bowers said that, on Feb. 14, 2001, Tomokane signed a claim statement, requesting an advance SSI payment of $477 on behalf of Apong, knowing that Apong had been dead.
Sources said Tomokane and Apong were not related or relatives.
