Newington Man Sentenced for Stealing Dead Grandma's Social Security Benefits

NEWINGTON, CT - A town resident was sentenced in U.S. District Court in New Haven Tuesday in connection with his guilty plea in the theft of more than $200,000 in Social Security benefits from his deceased grandmother's account.

According to a statement from Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, Cedric Newman, 46, was sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge Janet C. Hall in New Haven to six months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for stealing the funds from his late grandmother's account.

Newman must serve the first three months of his supervised release in home confinement, Daly said.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Newman’s grandmother was entitled to receive Social Security Administration (“SSA”) monthly benefit payments starting in 1980. The payments were made by direct deposit into a bank checking account. Although the woman passed away in October 1996, the direct deposit payments continued until June 2014.

In March 2011, Newman began accessing the funds in the account to make electronic payments on his credit card. From the time of his grandmother’s death until June 2014, approximately $220,729 of monthly benefit payments, net of Medicare premiums, were directly deposited into her bank account. Newman used $218,079 of the funds for his own benefit, Daly said.

On December 14, 2015, Newman pleaded guilty to one count of theft of public funds.

Judge Hall ordered Newman to make full restitution to the Social Security Administration.