SSA Scam

⏱ 2 min read

Steven Stankovits, a 57-year-old licensed funeral director from Matawan, New Jersey, was convicted of defrauding the Social Security Administration out of $585,000. The scam, which lasted for nearly 15 years, involved Stankovits lying about his ability to work and engaging in physical activities that contradicted his claims of disability. On March 5, 2026, a federal jury found Stankovits guilty of four counts of wire fraud and one count of false statements to the Social Security Administration.

Stankovits’s lies to the Social Security Administration began in 2010, when he claimed he was unable to work due to his condition. However, it was revealed that he was working at two different funeral homes, where his duties included gardening, shoveling snow, and carrying heavy caskets. Additionally, Stankovits enjoyed skiing and took long flights to destinations such as Cortina, Italy, and Lake Tahoe.

The Social Security Administration paid Stankovits over $585,000 in disability benefits, despite his ability to work and engage in physical activities. The case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, which argued that Stankovits’s actions were a clear exploitation of the Social Security Administration’s disability insurance program.

U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer stated that Stankovits’s actions were a prime example of the type of fraud that the Social Security Administration is vulnerable to. The conviction serves as a warning to those who would seek to exploit the system for personal gain.