Attorney General Kris Mayes has successfully executed the extradition of one Joseph P. Stanton to face his charges in Arizona, secured thanks to international cooperation. Stanton indicted back in 2022 for running an alleged disability insurance fraud using doctored medical documents, has been brought back from Spain, the Arizona Attorney General's Office announced. As per the legal axiom, Stanton remains innocent until proven guilty, although he stands accused of deceit crafted to burden the Social Security Disability Insurance system with illegitimate claims.
With charges including fraudulent schemes and forgery, Stanton purportedly feigned a diagnosis of Stage III pancreatic and liver cancers for SSD benefit collection. His initial application was denied, yet undeterred, he appealed, brandishing forged medical records. Claiming his extradition was due to coordination across borders, Mayes expressed gratitude towards the U.S. Marshals and prosecutors, according to the Arizona Attorney General's Office. "All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, but fleeing the country does not mean escaping accountability—and we will continue to work with our partners to ensure justice is served," Mayes said in the statement.
It was the work of the Arizona Department of Economic Security’s Disability Determination Services (DES/DDS) that helped peel back the layers of this case, revealing the fraudulent nature of Stanton’s claims. Stanton, the indictment entails one count of Fraudulent Schemes and Artifices, which is considered a Class 2 felony, and not to mention, three counts of Forgery as Class 4 felonies, as detailed by the Arizona Attorney General's Office.
