James Sessoms, SNAP Fraud, Pennsylvania 2024

PHILADELPHIA, PA – James Sessoms, 60, of Philadelphia, is trading sidewalks for a federal cell after being sentenced to 28 months in prison today for a brazen scheme to rip off taxpayers. Sessoms systematically defrauded the government of a staggering $1,063,633 in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Medicaid benefits, U.S. Attorney David Metcalf announced. The con man wasn’t just pocketing the cash; he was flipping fraudulently obtained SNAP cards at a local supermarket for a quick profit.

Sessoms was indicted in October 2024 and pleaded guilty this April to a laundry list of charges: one count of SNAP fraud, seven counts of false statements in connection with health care benefits, and seven counts of Social Security fraud. The feds say Sessoms operated his scam from approximately November 2019 through November 2023, targeting programs run by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (PA DHS).

The scheme was built on a foundation of stolen and fabricated identities. Court filings reveal Sessoms either created entirely fake personas or hijacked the personal information – including valid Social Security numbers belonging to *other* people – to file bogus benefit applications. He then backed up these lies with forged driver’s licenses featuring his own photo under assumed names. Sessoms didn’t stop at himself; he added phantom spouses and children to his applications, inflating the amount of benefits he received and further draining public resources. He even submitted fraudulent birth certificates to solidify the fiction.

For nearly four years, PA DHS, funded by both HHS and the USDA, unwittingly provided Medicaid coverage to Sessoms under his various aliases, along with benefits for his invented family members. Simultaneously, the same agencies distributed SNAP benefits to his fictional households. The scale of the operation is frankly sickening – over a million dollars stolen from programs designed to help those genuinely in need.

U.S. Attorney Metcalf didn’t mince words. “Stealing money from government programs is an awful crime,” he stated. “We will continue to prosecute fraud against the government and hold crooks like Sessoms accountable, on behalf of all the taxpayers funding these programs.” Federal investigators are sending a clear message: exploiting these systems won’t be tolerated. Sessoms will also be subject to three years of supervised release and is ordered to pay $398,708.58 in restitution – a fraction of what he stole, but a start.

Charmeka Parker, Special Agent in Charge of the USDA Office of Inspector General (USDA-OIG), emphasized the collaborative effort. “We appreciate the collaboration with our law enforcement partners,” Parker said. “Those who are involved in fraud regarding USDA taxpayer-funded programs will be investigated by our office to protect the integrity of those programs.” Michelle L. Anderson, Acting Inspector General of the Social Security Administration, added that Sessoms’ scheme was “audacious,” creating fake numbers while exploiting real ones, and warned that such behavior will not be overlooked. The investigation serves as a grim reminder that even seemingly complex fraud schemes will be uncovered, and perpetrators will face justice.

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