A Belle Vernon woman has been ordered to pay a hefty sum after a federal court handed down a sentence for her role in a Social Security fraud case. Teresa Sabolek, 68, will face one year of probation and must repay $116,758 in stolen benefits, as reported by WPXI.
According to court documents, Sabolek was caught red-handed when she claimed her husband did not live with her to rake in undeserved Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits—a claim she started making in May 2009. It was during an SSA clerk's routine file check, mentioned in a release by WTAE, where an entangling mess started unwinding after discovering that the spousal benefits she applied for painted a different picture.
In a deeper probe into the matter, the Social Security Administration's Office of the Inspector General learned that Sabolek's husband not only shared an address with her but also had his driver's license, registered vehicles, and mailing address all firmly rooted to that same home. Despite submitting a statement under penalty of perjury in June 2022, claiming her husband hadn't lived with her since her initial application, agents visiting the home in December 2024 found the contrary to be true.
In what amounted to over 13 years of deception, Sabolek has been ordered to return the benefits amount she unlawfully claimed, as per the sentencing by United States District Judge J. Nicholas Ranjan.
