Cory Michael Eglash, Disability Fraud, Seattle WA, 2023

The San Juan Island coffee shop ‘Criminal Coffee’ had more than just a catchy name; it also harbored a major fraud. Cory Michael Eglash, 52, the former owner of the establishment, was found guilty today in U.S. District Court in Seattle for conspiracy, mail fraud, and making false statements.

Eglash, along with his girlfriend Ramona Hayes, 41, falsely claimed they were disabled to collect Social Security benefits. Hayes’s claim was processed and she wrongfully collected over $42,000 before the scam was uncovered.

According to court documents, Eglash not only claimed he couldn’t work or play sports but also verified Hayes’s application for disability benefits, despite both of them working at ‘Criminal Coffee’ and Eglash earning an additional $17 per hour at a local aquarium. The SSA-OIG investigation revealed Eglash even played in pick-up basketball games during the same week he was claiming to be home-bound.

Eglash’s application was never approved, but by then Hayes had already stolen over $42,000. Sentencing for Eglash is scheduled for April 28, 2014, where he faces up to twenty years in prison for mail fraud and ten years for conspiracy to defraud the United States.

The SSA-OIG led the investigation, while Special Assistant United States Attorney Seth Wilkinson and Assistant United States Attorney Thomas Woods prosecuted the case. This case is part of a partnership between the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Social Security Administration Office of the General Counsel.