Cohoes Woman Pleads Guilty to Social Security Fraud

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Donna M. Smith, age 57, of Cohoes, New York, pled guilty today to making false statements to the Social Security Administration (SSA) in order to fraudulently obtain Disability Insurance Benefits.

The announcement was made by Acting United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith and John F. Grasso, Special Agent in Charge of the SSA Office of the Inspector General, New York Field Office.

As part of her plea, Smith admitted to submitting two false statements in which she claimed to have not worked between 2006 and 2015, when in fact she had worked for a total of eight Capital Region employers.  Disability Insurance Benefits are designed to replace, in part, the loss of income due to a disability.

Smith faces up to five years in prison, a maximum $250,000 fine, and post-imprisonment supervised release of up to three years when she is sentenced on February 1, 2018 by Senior United States District Judge Lawrence E. Kahn.  A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.

This case was investigated by the SSA Office of the Inspector General and is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason W. White.