Meadville Woman Charged with Defrauding Social Security

ERIE, Pa. - A resident of Meadville, Pennsylvania has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Erie on a charge of social security fraud, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.

The one-count indictment named Karen Louise Keiper, 49, as the sole defendant.

According to the indictment presented to the court, between on or about February 13, 2013 and August 7, 2015, Keiper fraudulently received approximately $28,948.00 in Supplemental Security Income benefit payments by concealing the fact that she did not live alone, failed to disclose the existence of a bank account and claimed she did not receive any other type of income in order in order to continue to receive these payments.

The law provides for a maximum total sentence of 5 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

Assistant United States Attorney Marshall J. Piccinini is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

The Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General, conducted the investigation leading to the indictment in this case.

An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.