Sharrie McInnis, Social Security Theft, Illinois 2022

U.S. District Judge Colin S. Bruce has sentenced a Kankakee woman to 14 months in prison for stealing over $98,000 in Social Security benefits.

Sharrie McInnis, 49, of the 1100 block of East Merchant Street, was found guilty of theft of public money after she claimed Title II Child-In-Care benefits for a grandchild that was not actually in her care. The total fraudulent benefits received amounted to $22,849.

At the sentencing hearing, Judge Bruce found that McInnis received additional improper Social Security payments under other titles, resulting in a total of $98,701.74 in overpayments. The judge ordered McInnis to pay full restitution to the Social Security Administration.

McInnis previously pleaded guilty to the one-count indictment in the case in October 2021. The statutory penalties for a violation of 18 U.S.C. § 641 are up to 10 years of imprisonment and up to three years of Supervised Release.

“Maintaining the integrity of the Social Security benefit system is critically important for the welfare of all who have paid into it,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney William J. Lynch, who represented the government in the prosecution.

“Ms. McInnis schemed to fraudulently obtain Social Security benefits. Her sentence demonstrates the commitment by our investigators and the U.S. Attorney’s Office to uphold the integrity of SSA’s programs by aggressively pursuing those who intend to defraud SSA,” said Andrew Boockmeier, Special Agent in Charge of the Social Security Administration’s Office of the Inspector General, Chicago Field Division, which investigated the case.

McInnis is set to serve 14 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release. The U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Social Security Administration’s Office of the Inspector General worked together to bring McInnis to justice for her crimes.

The case is a reminder of the importance of protecting the Social Security system from those who would seek to exploit it. The U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue to work tirelessly to ensure that those who commit Social Security-related crimes are held accountable.

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