FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 23, 2025 Media Inquiries: oig.press@ssa.gov SSA’s Project Resulted in Increased Wait Times, Disconnected Calls, Unanswered Calls, and Customer Dissatisfaction Key findings from a Social Security Administration (SSA) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) Audit Report (02234) revealed SSA’s contract for an updated telephone system with Verizon Business Network Services, Inc. (Verizon)…

U.S. Attorney’s Office, Western District of New York ROCHESTER, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Wendy Stone, 63, of Rochester, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Frank P. Geraci, Jr. to conversion/unlawful conveyance of government money, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Assistant U.S. Attorney…

U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of New Jersey CAMDEN, N.J. – A Delaware woman admitted to conspiring to obtain more than $1 million of federal Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans and Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL), U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced. Adrienne Ponzo, 50, of Bear, Delaware, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Karen M. Williams…

U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of West Virginia CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston today announced the detention of four Mexican nationals following their arrest in the Southern District of West Virginia. Maximino Montalvo Salas, 20, Federico Montalvo Salas, 22, and Bernabe Montalvo Salas, 24, are each charged with illegally reentering the United States.…

U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of New Jersey TRENTON, N.J. – An owner of several New Jersey businesses admitted to fraudulently obtaining over $3.2 million in federal Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced. Daniel Dadoun, 48, of Israel, formerly of South Plainfield, New Jersey, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Robert Kirsch…

U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of New Jersey NEWARK, N.J. – An Essex County, New Jersey, man was sentenced to 38 months in prison for stealing federal benefits meant for the disabled child of his former girlfriend shortly after she went missing, and for an additional 8 months in prison for violating supervised release, U.S. Attorney…

U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Louisiana NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – Acting United States Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced that DANIEL IGNACIO MEJIA-CASTILLO (“MEJIA”), age 32, a native of Honduras, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Nannette Jolivette Brown to 144 months in imprisonment after previously pleading guilty to being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm, in…

U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of New Jersey TRENTON, N.J. – An Ocean County, New Jersey man admitted he defrauded the Social Security Administration for nearly eight years in order to improperly obtain over $250,000.00 in Social Security Disability Insurance Benefits, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced. Krzysztof Niedzielski, 49, of Toms River, New Jersey, pleaded guilty…

U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Massachusetts BOSTON – A Spencer woman pleaded guilty today in federal court in Worcester to fraudulently obtaining Social Security benefits. Gina Llerena-Donohue, 62, pleaded guilty to one count of bank fraud. U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman scheduled sentencing for July 23, 2025. From February 2006 through May 2021,…

U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of California SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Fresno residents Marcus Asay, 69, and Antonio Gastelum, 53, were sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd to five years in prison and two years in prison, respectively, for committing a long-running pension fraud scheme through their company, Agricultural Contracting Services Association dba…