A Spencer woman has been indicted on charges of bank fraud, allegedly stealing Social Security benefits over a span of fifteen years, according to federal court documents in Worcester. The accused, Gina Llerena-Donohue, 62, finds herself facing allegations which claim she continued to siphon funds long after the death of a Social Security beneficiary to whom she had power of attorney.
Llerena-Donohue, who was charged with one count of bank fraud, is accused of collecting approximately $41,954.20 from February 2006 until May 2021. Running as power of attorney for a deceased Social Security beneficiary, the U.S. Attorney's Office alleges she failed to report the individual's passing and, in doing so, perpetuated her access to benefits that should have ceased.
Notably, the defendant is claimed to have made multiple cash withdrawals at bank counters, all the while the funds were being wrongfully deposited in the name of the deceased. Alarming still is Llerena-Donohue’s alleged submission of four false affidavits to the bank between 2018 and 2019, maintaining that the power of attorney remained in effect amidst death's permanent cessation of its true wielder's agency.
The gravity of a bank fraud charge looms over the defendant—with penalties reaching up to 30 years in prison and fines that may double the ill-gotten gains. Confirming the indictment, United States Attorney Leah B. Foley, alongside Amy Connelly, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Social Security Administration’s Office of the Inspector General, Boston Field Division, shared the announcement. The case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Nagelberg of the Major Crimes Unit, citing the allegations detailed in the legal documents. It is imperative to remember, amidst the shroud of these accusations, that the defendant remains presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
