A Kokomo, Indiana, woman has been sentenced by a federal court to three years' probation and ordered to repay a hefty sum totaling over $200,000 that she wrongfully received from her deceased husband's Social Security retirement benefits. Rebecca Fields, 70, entered a guilty plea to a charge of making a false statement in order to maintain the flow of funds, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of Indiana.
Fields' husband began drawing Social Security benefits in 1985, and, after being named his representative payee in 2002, she was responsible for the proper management of these funds. Instead, after her husband's death in 2006, she continued to submit statements to the Social Security Administration (SSA), falsely declaring that he was still alive and residing with her. Fields went as far as to complete at least thirteen Representative Payee Reports between 2007 and 2022. Her fraudulent actions enabled her to siphon off roughly $231,203.10 of funds not owed to her, allegedly for her husband's care.
"For over a decade, Fields brazenly stole not only from the United States government, but also indirectly from taxpayers who diligently pay into the Social Security retirement fund," stated Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, John E. Childress. Childress also expressed that this case should act as a warning to others contemplating similar fraudulent undertakings, illustrating that the consequences are substantial, as per the U.S. Attorney's Office.
The successful detection and prosecution of this case is credited to the Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General. The sentence, including the restitution and probation, was handed down by U.S. District Judge James P. Hanlon.
