Arrowsic Man Pleads Guilty to Social Security Fraud

Contact: Michael J. Conley
Assistant United States Attorney
Tel: (207) 780-3257

Portland, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Robert Caton, 72, of Arrowsic, Maine, pled guilty today in U.S. District Court to Social Security Fraud.

According to court documents, Caton’s mother received Retirement and Survivors Benefits (RSI) following the death of her husband.  When Caton’s mother died in September 2000, the RSI benefits continued to be deposited into Caton’s and his mother’s joint bank account.  Caton did not notify the Social Security Administration that his mother’s RSI benefits continued to be deposited into their joint account following his mother’s death.  The excess RSI payments continued uninterrupted for 14 years, with the last payment occurring in September 2014.  Excess RSI payments to Caton’s joint account totaled $162,786.  Caton used these funds to pay his own personal bills and expenses, spending all but approximately $15,000. 

Caton faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.  He will be sentenced after completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office. 

The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Social Security Administration’s Office of Inspector General.