Westlake woman charged with defrauding Social Security by cashing deceased father-in-law's checks

A Westlake woman was charged today with theft of government funds, said Justin E. Herdman, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio.

Rimjhim Gupta, 40, fraudulently converted to her own use her father-in-law’s Title II Retirement Insurance benefits after her father-in-law died.  The Social Security Administration was not made aware of the death and continued to pay benefits to a checking account held by Gupta’s father-in-law. Over the course of several years, Rimjhim Gupta accessed her father-in-law’s account and withdrew over $38,000 in federal benefits which she was not entitled. 

Kelly Clark from the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General conducted the investigation.  Special Assistant United States Attorney Payum Doroodian is prosecuting the case.

If convicted, the Court will determine the defendant’s sentence after a review of factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense, and the characteristics of the violation.  In all cases, the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum.  In most cases, it will be less than the maximum.

An information is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt.  A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government's burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.