Woman Sentenced for $62K in Food Stamp, SSI, Medicaid Fraud

CONCORD, NH - Beverly Eaton, 57, of Seabrook, who pleaded guilty to one count of Social Security Fraud and four counts of Making False Statements on Sept. 28, 2015, was sentenced last week to three years of probation, including six months of home confinement, and was ordered to pay $51,189.70 in restitution to the Social Security Administration and $11,235.36 to the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, announced United States Attorney Emily Gray Rice in a press statement.

Eaton started receiving Food Stamps and Medicaid in 2008, and Social Security disability benefits in February 2009. Eligibility for each of these benefits programs is based, in part, on the applicant having limited income and resources.

“At the time she applied for benefits and at subsequent reviews to assess continuing eligibility, Eaton failed to disclose that she owned two pieces of real estate, each with an assessed value of over $30,000, and instead, falsely reported that she did not own any real estate,” according to Rice. “Her ownership of these properties would have rendered her ineligible to receive any Supplemental Security Income benefits, Food Stamps, or Medicaid.”

Eaton concealed her ownership of these properties from the Social Security Administration and from the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services from the time of her applications in 2008 until her fraud was uncovered by an investigation in October 2014.

As a result of her concealment and false statements, Eaton received $62,425.06 in disability benefits, Food Stamps, and Medicaid benefits that she would not have received if she had truthfully reported her real estate assets.

The case was investigated by the Social Security Administration’s Office of the Inspector General in conjunction with the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Improvement and Integrity, and prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Karen Burzycki, according to the statement.