New Federal Prosecutor Targets Social Security, Other Government Frauds

ST. LOUIS - The addition of a specially-funded prosecutor has resulted in the indictment of 14 people in the Eastern District of Missouri accused of defrauding the government out of $1 million via disability fraud, pandemic fraud and the theft of Social Security and other benefits.

Those charged include a home health aide accused of stealing a client's Social Security retirement and Veterans Administration benefits, the owner of a pest control business who has been accused of fraudulently receiving disability benefits and others who stole benefits being paid to people who died.

"This new position is allowing us to expand our prosecutions of Social Security and other frauds and will mean that we can recover hundreds of thousands of dollars of taxpayer money in the short term alone," said U.S. Attorney Thomas C. Albus. "These programs are designed to aid those who desperately need the money, and fraud and abuse will not be tolerated."

"SSA OIG special agents work closely with prosecutors and our federal law enforcement partners to investigate allegations of Social Security fraud and hold offenders accountable," said Michelle L. Anderson, SSA OIG, Assistant Inspector General for Audit as First Assistant. "These cases demonstrate the value of dedicated resources focused on identifying fraud schemes and ensuring that those responsible face justice."

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jolene Taaffe's position is being funded by the Social Security Administration (SSA) and is one of nearly two dozen new positions across the country, bringing the total to 47 in 43 offices. More hires are expected. On April 15, 2025, President Donald J. Trump signed a Presidential Memorandum entitled Preventing Illegal Aliens from Obtaining Social Security Act Benefits. That memorandum authorized the expansion of a longstanding partnership with the Justice Department in which attorneys are detailed to U.S. Attorney Offices throughout the country. SAUSAs typically receive investigative referrals from SSA Office of Inspector General special agents and work with the agents to develop the referrals into prosecutable cases.

The memorandum has expanded SSA's full-time fraud prosecution program to at least 50 U.S. Attorney Offices. It also requires SSA to "prioritize assigning new detailees to the 10 U.S. Attorney Offices whose jurisdictions encompass the largest known populations of illegal aliens, as determined by the Secretary of Homeland Security."

The memorandum also established a new fraud-prosecutor program between the Department of Justice and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) "with regard to programs administered by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services." HHS provides direct funding for these positions, enabling dedicated prosecution of beneficiary fraud within CMS programs.

March 5 was National "Slam the Scam" Day, meant to raise awareness of fraudsters who pretend to represent the SSA or other government agencies, and part of the Federal Trade Commission's National Consumer Protection Week. More information on protecting yourself from imposter fraud is available at ssa.gov/scam/resources. Information on how to avoid, report and recover from scams is available at https://consumer.ftc.gov/features/national-consumer-protection-week#Avoid.

Please help investigators, and other scam victims, by reporting Social Security-related scams to oig.ssa.gov or 1-800-269-0271. Report other scams to the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov.

Charges set forth in indictments are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.

The cases were investigated by the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General, the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General, and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General and the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.