An East Weymouth woman, identified as Debora A. Siler, 68, has entered a guilty plea for bank fraud charges, the U.S. Attorney's Office reports. Siler admitted to defrauding the Social Security Administration by illegally claiming and spending approximately $61,685.13 in benefits intended for a deceased beneficiary. The deception was carried out over a period from June 2015 to September 2020. In a legal proceeding in Boston, U.S. District Court Judge Leo T. Sorokin set her sentencing for Dec. 15, following the charge initially brought against her this past August.
The scheme, as detailed by the prosecution, involved Siler's access to both the checkbook and debit card of the Social Security recipient who passed away in May 2015. Siler managed to continue to secretly obtain the funds by forging the name of the deceased on checks and making frequent transactions with the debit card. Her crime could possibly lead to face up to a 30-year prison sentence, alongside up to five years of supervised release, and a fine that may reach $250,000 or twice the amount of financial gain or loss from her fraudulent activity.
In their announcements of the case, United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Special Agent-in-Charge Amy Connelly of the SSA's Office of the Inspector General, Boston Field Division, revealed the details of Siler's wrongdoing. The case is currently being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Nagelberg of the Major Crimes Unit. The Department of Justice reports the particulars of Siler's plea and the anticipated consequences of her fraudulent activities.
