Tampa, FL (Law Firm Newswire) April 8, 2016 - A U.S. postal worker from Tampa, Florida, has been charged with stealing Social Security benefit checks valued at more than $2 million from the mail.
The man was identified on March 18 as 47-year-old Stacy Darnell Mitchell. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Mitchell could face a maximum of 15 years in federal prison. He was charged with theft of government property and theft of mail.
“Investigators have done well to find the alleged perpetrator of the crime,” said David W. Magann, a prominent attorney in Tampa, Florida, whose firm specializes in Social Security law. “The theft involved a large sum of money. It is a shame that the Social Security checks did not make it to people in need who deserve them.”
Authorities said Mitchell stole checks worth over $1,000 during his employment at the U.S. Postal Service Processing and Distribution Center facility in St. Petersburg, Florida. He worked there from January 2012 to October 2012, the period of the alleged theft.
Mitchell also had a partner who confessed to officials that he was part of the Social Security theft scheme. Richard Lee Anderson, 37, pleaded guilty in February. According to his plea agreement, Mitchell gave him benefit checks totaling at least $2.3 million. Anderson then sold them for a percentage of their face value and shared the money with Mitchell.
The Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General, the Tampa Police Department and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service are investigating the case.
“Recently there have a number of reports about Social Security benefit thefts around the country. Detecting fraud and abuse in the Social Security system may be challenging, but it is essential to maintaining the program’s integrity,” said Magann.
David W. Magann, P.A.
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