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James Burdulis, a 57-year-old Lynn man, was sentenced for receiving $67,159 in stolen Social Security benefits and COVID economic impact payments in Lynn, Massachusetts, between June 2019 and June 2025. Burdulis had been appointed as the representative payee to manage the benefits of a beneficiary who died in May 2019. After the beneficiary’s death, Burdulis continued to receive the benefits and submitted false reports to the Social Security Administration (SSA) claiming he spent the money on behalf of the deceased. The scheme was uncovered, and Burdulis pleaded guilty in April 2026.
Burdulis submitted five fraudulent representative payee reports to the SSA between June 2020 and June 2024, stating that he spent the money on behalf of the deceased beneficiary. He also submitted a fraudulent verification form in September 2020, claiming the beneficiary still lived at the same location. The SSA discovered the fraud, and Burdulis was charged on March 26, 2026.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Nagelberg of the Major Crimes Unit. 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 sentence. Burdulis was sentenced to one day of prison, deemed served, and three years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay $67,159 in restitution.
The sentence is part of the Benefit & Voter Fraud Team’s efforts to combat fraud in Massachusetts. The team, established on March 26, 2026, is led by two senior federal prosecutors serving as Fraud Coordinators.
📋 Key Facts
- Crime: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Defendant: Massachusetts
- Location: MA
- Source: DOJ Press Release
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