BIRMINGHAM – A federal grand jury has indicted OPAL ELAINE TILLMAN, 71, of Morris, for fraudulently claiming nearly $168,000 in Social Security survivor benefits following the murder of her husband. Acting U.S. Attorney Robert O. Posey and Social Security Administration Inspector General Margaret Moore-Jackson announced the charges.
The indictment, filed in U.S. District Court, accuses Tillman of five counts of wire fraud for improperly receiving benefit payments into her account at Regions Bank between May 2012 and September 2016. An additional count alleges theft of government property, with Tillman stealing more than $100,000 from the SSA. The government seeks to forfeit $167,830 as proceeds of illegal activity.
Tillman was previously convicted in Alabama for killing her husband, Walter R. Tillman, in 1987. Despite being informed by the SSA that she was not entitled to benefits due to her conviction, she applied for and received Social Security Title II benefits for herself and her children after her release from prison in 1996.
In 2009, Tillman reapplied for widow’s benefits using her deceased husband’s information. She began receiving monthly benefits until 2016, when the SSA-OIG investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tamarra Matthews Johnson is now prosecuting the case.
The maximum penalty for wire fraud is 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, while theft of government property carries a maximum penalty of 10 years and a similar fine.
An indictment contains only charges, and Tillman is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
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Key Facts
- State: Alabama
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes|White Collar Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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