Chambersburg Woman Pleads Guilty To Social Security Fraud

HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Rebecca Cramer, age 57, of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania pled guilty today before United States District Judge John E. Jones, III, to social security fraud and theft of public funds.

According to United States Attorney Bruce D. Brandler, Cramer pled guilty to a felony information alleging she collected over $22,000 in social security funds which were to be used for the benefit of her sister. Cramer’s sister passed away in February of 2015, and Cramer continued to collect the funds and fraudulently completed two annual reports to the Social Security Administration regarding her sister’s status.

The case was investigated by the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott R. Ford is prosecuting the case.

Indictments and Criminal Informations are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.

A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

The maximum penalty under federal law for this offense is 25 years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the Judge is also required to consider and weigh a number of factors, including the nature, circumstances and seriousness of the offense; the history and characteristics of the defendant; and the need to punish the defendant, protect the public and provide for the defendant's educational, vocational and medical needs. For these reasons, the statutory maximum penalty for the offense is not an accurate indicator of the potential sentence for a specific defendant.

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