A couple from Cobb County has entered guilty pleas to faking disabilities in order to claim benefits from two government agencies.
Kinsley Kilpatrick and Tracie Jeanne Kilpatrick pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud by falsely claiming they suffered various ailments in order to receive money from the Social Security Administration and Department of Veterans Affairs, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia said.
The pair received more than $60,000 annually from both federal agencies, U.S. Attorney BJay Pak said.
According to federal prosecutors the case dates back to 2015 when Kinsley Kilpatrick, who was already receiving VA benefits, applied to get more assistance based on false claims that he solely relied on a wheelchair to get around and lost all use of his arms and legs.
The pair filled out paperwork and “falsely presented his medical condition at medical appointments,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
READ | Cobb man sentenced in school district employee tax scheme
The VA in 2016 approved the application, appointed Tracie Kilpatrick as her husband’s caretaker and began paying Kilpatrick an additional $5,000 per month in benefits.
Prosecutors also said the Powder Springs couple in 2016 submitted another false claim to the SSA stating Tracie Kilpatrick was “completely disabled from a seizure disorder.”
In the application, Kilpatrick, now, 39 claimed his wife relied on him for basic activities, and that she was unable to stand, walk, carry or lift anything or drive. The SSA awarded Tracie Kilpatrick disability benefits based on those claims.
The investigation revealed that Kinsley Kilpatrick had full use of his extremities and that 45-year-old Tracie Kilpatrick “had no serious functional limitations.”
Investigators also recorded the Kilpatricks taking part in rigorous activities, such as jumping on a trampoline and playing in a kickball league.
They also used VA funds to purchase a 2017 Jeep Cherokee, which they will have to forfeit as part of the guilty plea. The couple will be sentenced at at 10 a.m. June 6 before U.S. District Court Judge Leigh Martin May.
Like Cobb County News Now on Facebook | Follow us on Twitter
About the Author
