Northshore Mortgage Broker Charged with Making False Statements to the Social Security Administration

U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that JAMES BRIANT, age 68, a resident of Covington, Louisiana and mortgage broker and senior loan officer at Alpha Mortgage, LLC was charged today with making false statements to the Social Security Administration in order to obtain Social Security Disability Payments.

According to the Bill of Information, from on or about June 10, 2010, the defendant, JAMES BRIANT, applied for disability benefits from the Social Security Administration, a department and agency of the United States, for a back disorder and heart disease. Thereafter, in December of 2011, he began receiving monthly disability benefits of approximately, $2,370, based on the representation that he was unable to work. During the time he received disability payments, the defendant, JAMES BRIANT, had an obligation to report any income he made to the SSA.

At a time unknown, but prior to September 2012, the defendant, JAMES BRIANT, began working as a loan officer and mortgage broker at Alpha Mortgage, L.L.C, earning a salary. He worked there through in or around June 2017 and never reported to the SSA that he was working or earned any income. On or about December 15, 2015, BRIANT completed a Social Security Disability form and submitted it to the SSA, an SSA-Form 795, “Statement of Claimant.” In this statement, he signed and certified, under penalty of perjury that he had not worked since 2011, knowing full well that this statement was materially false, fictitious, and fraudulent.

U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans stated that a Bill of Information is merely an accusation and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

This case is being investigated by the Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sharan E. Lieberman is in charge of the prosecution.