Tampa, FL – In a scathing rebuke of white-collar crime, U.S. District Judge James D. Whittemore has sentenced Peggy Washington, 36, of Palmetto, to three years and three months in federal prison for her brazen identity theft and public benefits fraud.
Washington was also hit with a $36,355.93 money judgment, linked to the proceeds of her criminal activities. The court ordered her to pay restitution totaling $48,926.93 to the agencies she defrauded.
The defendant’s misdeeds, detailed in court documents, included a litany of fraudulent schemes. Washington and her cohorts targeted Social Security and SNAP recipients, obtaining their personal identifying information (PII) and setting up fraudulent debit card accounts. The stolen benefits were then siphoned into these accounts and withdrawn by the defendants.
Washington didn’t stop there; she also exploited stolen PII to file fraudulent tax returns, cashing in on refund checks. Her deception extended to housing applications where she concealed assets, leading to an overpayment of Section 8 benefits.
This case was a joint effort by federal agencies, including the Social Security Administration, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, and the Department of Agriculture. Assistant United States Attorney Eric K. Gerard and Department of Justice Trial Attorney Timothy Loper led the prosecution.
Washington’s sentence serves as a stark reminder of the consequences for those who prey on public benefits programs and the trust placed in them by law-abiding citizens.
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Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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