Georgia man faces 15 years in prison for allegedly stealing over $100K in disability benefits

A Macon man has been convicted of collecting thousands of dollars’ worth of disability benefits while running a cleaning company, according to the Department of Justice.

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Demetris Hill, 54, was convicted of one count of theft of government property and one count of false claims against the government.

The release states that in May 2012, Hill applied and was approved for disability benefits from the U.S. Railroad Retirement Board (RRB).

Hill consented during the application process he would report any work, income or changes in his disability status.

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From 2014 to 2019, RRB sent six annual reminders for Hill to report any work or money he made regardless of the work he did.

Hill was receiving disability benefits for almost a year, when in 2013 he opened a cleaning company, authorities say. According to the release, he positioned himself as an executive and partner of the company, as well as a resident agent.

In the following years, Hill’s role at the cleaning company included client management and day-to-day operations, while still collecting full disability benefits, which authorities said he was not entitled to due to his work and income.

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Officials said the benefits totaled well over $100,000.

Hill faces a maximum of 15 years plus a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release.

Sentencing will be on Jan. 10, 2023.

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