17 Charged in $1.3M Social Security Fraud Scheme, Including Woman Who Hid Mother's Body

The Justice Department has charged 17 individuals accused of defrauding the Social Security Administration (SSA) of more than $1.3 million in benefits. The charges are part of a monthlong "surge" by the DOJ's new National Fraud Enforcement Division targeting crimes against the SSA's benefit programs.

Assistant Attorney General Colin McDonald stated that the benefits programs are intended to protect the elderly and vulnerable, not to fund fraudsters. "Every dollar stolen is a dollar taken from a retiree’s medicine, meals, or housing," McDonald said. "These cases represent just a fraction of the fraud we are aggressively pursuing every day."

Among those charged is Eva Bratcher, who is accused of stealing $21,402 from the SSA after concealing her mother’s body in a freezer for two years. According to the DOJ, Bratcher assumed her mother’s identity, collected her mother’s SSA and SNAP benefits, and also used an alternative Social Security Number to steal additional SNAP benefits. Bratcher was previously sentenced in 2023 to 18 months in prison for concealing a death and possessing a fraudulent ID card. She now faces three new federal charges related to fraud, with a potential maximum sentence of 10 years in prison if convicted.

Several other defendants are accused of exploiting deceased or disabled relatives to defraud taxpayers. SSA Commissioner Frank Bisignano affirmed the agency's commitment to combating fraud, stating, "Social Security, we are putting that mandate into action. Working hand-in-hand with the Department of Justice, we are aggressively pursuing fraud, safeguarding taxpayer dollars, and protecting Social Security."