Buffalo Woman Sentenced For Stealing Social Security Benefits

CONTACT:      Barbara Burns
PHONE:         (716) 843-5817
FAX:            (716) 551-3051

BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Aramenta Lee, 63, of Buffalo, NY, who was convicted of theft of social security retirement benefits, was sentenced to five years probation with six months of home confinement by U.S. District Court Judge Frank P. Geraci. The defendant was also ordered to pay $235,160 in restitution to the Social Security Administration.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie Lamarque, who handled the case, stated that Lee failed to notify the Social Security Administration of her father’s death in 2002. As a result, social security checks continued to be issued and deposited into a savings account in the name of the defendant’s father. As Power of Attorney, Lee had access to the account. Between July 13, 2002 and January 2, 2015, the defendant stole a total of $235,160 in social security benefits.

The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge John Grasso.