Criminal Case Highlights Danger of Representative Payees
Attorney
(866) 735-1102 Ext 645
According to United States Attorney Catherine Hanaway and the Police Chief of Macon, Missouri, Steve Olinger, a Macon couple, Donald and Mary Hicks, have been indicted on charges of stealing a total of $86,534 in benefits from Social Security Disability from another couple that was in their care.
In the September of 1998, Donald Hicks was chosen by the Social Security Administration as a representative payee for a disabled couple who were receiving benefits from Social Security Disability, the indictment said.
According to the allegations of the indictment, during the period between September 1998 and February 2006, the disabled couple's checks were endorsed by Donald Hicks and then he and his wife stole the money.
In order to conceal this conspiracy, the Hicks' made false statements and provided false expense reports on the date of April 1, 2006 to the Police Department of Macon. That May, they lied to the SSA and agents from the FBI about the false documentation.
On Thursday, January 31, 2008, each of the Hicks' were indicted in St. Louis, Missouri by a federal grand jury on one felony count of theft of government funds, one felony court of the misuses of money from social security, one felony count for filing false statements to a federal agency, and one felony count of conspiring to steal government funds and make false statements to the SSA and FBI.
If the couple is convicted, there is a maximum penalty of ten years in prison and/or fines of up to $250,000 and there is a maximum penalty of five years in prison and/or fines of up to $250,000 for each of the other charges. Each charge also requires mandatory restitution.