A Yuba County caregiver has entered a guilty plea for the theft of over $155,000 in Social Security benefits, as per an announcement by U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert. Roselyn Mims, 51, admitted to the theft of government property following her patient's death. Mims, from Linda, had been a Certified Nurse Assistant and provided in-home care through California's In-Home Support Services, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
According to court documents, Mims continued to improperly receive the deceased patient's Social Security Administration benefits. She managed to wrongfully possess the elderly woman's checkbook and used it to cunningly write out checks to herself and others. In her scheme, she forged the woman's signature to either cash or deposit these checks since August 2016 through August 2023, as reported by the U.S. Attorney's Office.
The fraud was exposed only after Mims had an interview with law enforcement. By that time, she had totaled a significant loss to the Social Security Administration, with the stolen amount reaching $156,445. Under the conditions of her plea, Mims has agreed to pay back the stolen funds in restitution, as per the U.S. Attorney's Office.
The investigation was led by the SSA Office of the Inspector General. Mims' sentencing is scheduled for February 11, 2025, with U.S. District Judge John A. Mendez presiding. While the maximum statutory penalty she faces is 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, the actual sentence is yet to be decided and might vary based on statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, as mentioned by the U.S. Attorney's Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicole Moody and Denise N. Yasinow have been appointed to prosecute the case, which emphasizes the need to protect the integrity of vital social safety nets designed to support the most vulnerable in society.
