A former Social Security Administration employee was sentenced to federal prison for committing wire fraud, social security fraud, and money laundering.
DENVER – Justin Skiff, 36, of Castle Pines, was sentenced to six months in prison for the crimes.
According to the plea agreement, Skiff used his position as a claims specialist with the SSA to fraudulently obtain money from the SSA from August 2019 to September 2021.
Skiff used his knowledge and access to establish Social Security Numbers for ten fictitious children and then established fictitious records of entitlements for surviving child benefits, which he connected to the record of a real deceased individual.
These benefits were deposited into a bank account accessible to Skiff through debit cards he directed to be mailed to a P.O. Box to which he had access. Skiff withdrew money and made purchases from this account from October 2019 through September 2021 for a total amount of $324,201.44.
“Mr. Skiff blatantly violated the public’s trust, abusing his position within the SSA by stealing $324,201 in benefits,” said Christian Assad, Special Agent in Charge, Denver Field Division, of the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General.
“We take every violation of the public trust very seriously, and we will continue to work with SSA to identify and root out suspected employee fraud. I want to thank Sonia J. Dave, Special Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Colorado, and our counterparts at the IRS for its support of this investigation.”
“Maintaining the public’s trust in government institutions is vital to our democracy,” said Andy Tsui, Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation Denver Field Office. “When government employees abuse their position of trust to enrich themselves, IRS-CI will partner with other agencies to ensure these criminals are held accountable for their actions.”
“Federal employees owe a special duty to the taxpayers we serve,” said United States Attorney Cole Finegan. “Instead of serving, this defendant stole money, and our trust. We commend our law enforcement partners for pursuing justice in this matter.”
The case was investigated by the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General and Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI). The prosecution was handled by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Sonia J. Dave.
The sentencing took place on July 13, 2023.
Mandatory facts:
- Defendant: Justin Skiff
- Criminal charges: Wire fraud, social security fraud, and money laundering
- City and state: Denver, Colorado
- Exact date: August 2019 to September 2021 (crime date), July 13, 2023 (sentencing date)
- Sentence or outcome: Six months in prison
- Dollar amount: $324,201.44
Related Federal Cases
- MoneyGram International Inc., Wire Fraud, California 2020 · Connecticut
- Lowell Gene “Bob” Hancher, Wire and Securities Fraud, IN, 2013 · Indiana
- Thomas Whitlow, Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud and Wire Fraud, Lin… · Kansas
- Jerome Eckstein Pleads Guilty to Narcotics Money Laundering, Albuqu… · Colorado
- Kenneth Case Tebbs, Wire Fraud, Salt Lake City UT, 2023 · Colorado
Key Facts
- State: Colorado
- Category: [‘Fraud & Financial Crimes’]
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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