⏱ 3 min read
A brazen scheme to swindle nearly $200,000 in Social Security disability benefits from the government has landed a Gardner woman in hot water. Leidy E. Otero, 43, allegedly raked in $185,266 in benefits between 2015 and 2025, despite knowing she wasn’t entitled to them.
Prosecutors say Otero concealed crucial information from the Social Security Administration to get her hands on the cash.
Now, she’s facing a stacked deck of charges that could land her behind bars for up to 15 years and slap her with a $500,000 fine.
Otero’s scheme allegedly began in January 2015 and continued until March 2025, with the government doling out the ill-gotten gains to her over nearly a decade.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Amy Connelly, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General, Office of Investigations, Boston Field Division, announced the charges against Otero.
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📋 Key Facts
- Crime: White Collar Crime
- Defendant: Massachusetts
- Location: MA
- Source: DOJ Press Release
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