A Lynn woman, Teresa M. Carrington, was handed a five-year probation sentence after being found guilty of defrauding over $50,000 in Social Security benefits earmarked for her deceased mother, as reported by the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Details from the U.S. Attorney's Office reveal that Carrington did not report her mother's death to the Social Security Administration (SSA) in May 2016. As a result, retirement insurance benefits continued to be released in the deceased's name. Between June 2016 and January 2020, Carrington illicitly claimed at least $50,210 in benefits by regularly authoring checks from her late mother's account, endorsing them with a fraudulent signature.
After being used to cover bills and personal expenses, Carrington pled guilty to one count of theft of public funds on May 31, and has been instructed to pay to the SSA a restitution totaling $50,210.
