Trotwood woman who stole $200K in Social Security, COVID stimulus sent to prison, ordered to pay it back
Jun. 16—A Trotwood woman accused of taking more than $200,000 Social Security payments in her deceased brother's name and COVID-19 stimulus money was sentenced to six months in prison and six months in home detention.
Karen Lamb, 61, was also ordered to pay back the money, according to the U.S. Department of Justice Southern District of Ohio.
Lamb reportedly stole nearly $223,000 in Social Security payments and $1,200 in COVID-19 stimulus funds.
Her brother died in 2004 and received Social Security benefits. After his death, Lamb did not notify Social Security or the bank and continued to have payments sent to a shared bank account, according to the Southern District of Ohio. She also updated the address associated with the bank account to her own address.
The Social Security Administration's Office of Inspector General realized the theft during an audit.
"This sentence demonstrates that concealing someone's death to gain access to their Social Security's benefits is a Federal crime, and one that the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General will continue to fight," said Andrew Boockmeier, special agent-in-charge of the SSA OIG Chicago Field Division. "The collaborative efforts of our auditors and investigators uncovered this nearly 16-year ruse. I thank the United States Attorney's Office and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Landry for working with us to hold this individual accountable."
