A Greenville-area mother allegedly kept a paternity test under wraps while collecting nearly $90,000 in Social Security benefits tied to a man prosecutors say was not the child’s father. The case now puts a long-running family dispute, a custody loss and an alleged federal benefits scheme in the same uncomfortable spotlight.
FOX Carolina reported that Betty Moore was indicted in Greenville on Tuesday on charges of theft of government property and Social Security auxiliary benefit fraud. Prosecutors allege Moore listed Brian Ray Grogan as the father of her child on a 2014 birth certificate, then applied in 2017 to receive benefits connected to Grogan after his death in December 2016.
The Alleged Benefit Trail Ran Through A DNA Test
According to the indictment described in the report, Moore submitted the child’s DNA for testing in July 2019, and the results showed a 99.99% probability that a different man, identified in court filings as T.G., was the biological father. Prosecutors say Moore did not notify the Social Security Administration about the result and continued collecting and spending the payments.
The benefits were OASDI auxiliary payments, a category that can include survivor benefits for children of deceased workers, according to the Social Security Administration. The agency’s rules say a representative payee must use those funds for the beneficiary’s needs and conserve money that is not immediately required—not treat the account like a personal rainy-day fund. According to the SSA Office of the Inspector General, employees have created an annual average of 11,329 misuse allegations in eRPS since 2011. The SSA Office of the Inspector General's Semiannual Report to Congress (Spring 2025) notes that investigations involve RSI benefits, "including deceased payee fraud, representative payee misuse."
The case took another turn in 2025, prosecutors allege, when South Carolina’s Department of Social Services made a finding of physical neglect and abuse against Moore. A family court then awarded custody and guardianship to T.G. in August 2025, but the indictment says Moore continued receiving the benefits until the SSA suspended payments in January 2026, by which point the alleged total had reached $89,041, FOX Carolina reported. The South Carolina Department of Social Services' Upstate Region page lists Greenville in its Upstate region and provides an Abuse/Neglect office phone number, (864) 467-7882. A South Carolina Department of Social Services monitoring report notes that the most frequent allegation for alleged victim children between the ages of 14 and 17 was physical neglect.
What The Federal Charges Could Mean
The alleged conduct tracks two serious federal theories: taking government money without authorization and concealing information that affected eligibility for Social Security payments. Under 18 U.S.C. § 641, theft of government property worth more than $1,000 can carry up to 10 years in prison, while 42 U.S.C. § 408 allows up to five years for certain Social Security fraud violations.
If convicted, Moore could also face a forfeiture judgment of at least $89,041. The indictment is an accusation, not a conviction, and Moore is presumed innocent unless prosecutors prove the charges in court.
