A Slidell man has been caught in a web of deceit, pleading guilty to Social Security benefits fraud, totaling over $75,000.
The U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that MICHAEL R. MATHERNE, age 61, of Slidell, Louisiana, pled guilty as charged on July 22, 2021, to an indictment returned by a grand jury on November 6, 2020, for Theft of Federal Funds.
The case involved the Social Security Administration’s Retirement Survivor Insurance Benefit program, which provides benefits to certain persons, including widows and widowers, in their retirement. According to the indictment, M.F. applied for and began receiving RSI Program benefits in or around January 1993 and regularly deposited the checks into her Whitney bank account.
In September 2006, M.F. married MICHAEL R. MATHERNE, and in July 2012, they created a joint Whitney bank account. However, M.F. died in November 2012, and MICHAEL R. MATHERNE never advised the SSA of her death.
From December 2012 through March 2019, the SSA continued sending checks to M.F.’s home address in Slidell, Louisiana, and MICHAEL R. MATHERNE continued depositing the checks into the Whitney bank account, receiving monthly SSA benefits totaling approximately $75,838.
MICHAEL R. MATHERNE entered a guilty plea on July 22, 2021, before U.S. District Judge Barry W. Ashe. He is set to be sentenced on November 4, 2021, and faces a maximum of 10 years imprisonment, a fine of not more than $250,000, supervised release of at least 3 years, and a mandatory special assessment of $100 as to each count.
The case was investigated by the Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Carter K. D. Guice, Jr.
Key Facts
- State: Louisiana
- Category: White Collar Crime|Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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