A Fairburn woman who never reported her father’s death to the Social Security Administration and collected his monthly checks for nearly nine years has pleaded guilty in federal court.
Carmen Pearson, 58, stole more than $176,000 by concealing her father’s death from the government, prosecutors said Tuesday in a news release.
In 2007, Pearson applied to start collecting her father’s monthly Social Security benefits, authorities said. He died two years later, but instead of reporting his death, Pearson submitted at least five annual reporting statements claiming her dad was still alive and that she used the income she received for his care and support.
Because the Social Security office believed the man was still alive, it continued to shell out monthly benefits until August 2018, nine years after his death, prosecutors said.
“Stealing money from the federal government is stealing money from taxpayers,” U.S. Attorney BJay Pak said. “Pearson went the extra mile to steal by swearing annually that her father was alive and that she was taking care of him even though he had died.”
Her sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 20, authorities said.
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