Louisiana Woman Sentenced for Sophisticated Social Security Fraud Scheme Spanning 35 Years

New Orleans, Louisiana – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that, on November 2, 2022, U.S. District Court Judge Lance M. Africk sentenced Betty Arrington, a/k/a “Betty Callie Arrington,” a/k/a “Betty Francis C Miller,” a/k/a “Betty Miller” (“Arrington”), age 73, to three years probation, of which she must serve six months of home detention. Arrington was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $164,270.90.

Arrington pleaded guilty to one count of Theft of Government Funds under Title 18, United States Code, Section 641. Arrington, according to court records, engaged in a sophisticated 35-year plan to defraud the Social Security Administration (“SSA”). From 1984 until 2019, Arrington purposefully utilized a Social Security number (“SSN”) not granted to her by the SSA Commissioner to disguise her job and earnings. Arrington applied for and began receiving disability compensation from the Social Security Administration (SSA) in 1997. Arrington’s use of another person’s SSN to disguise her continuous employment, combined with her false representations to the SSA attesting to her eligibility for disability payments, enabled her to fraudulently earn benefits totaling roughly $164,270.90.

United States Attorney Duane A. Evans applauded the Social Security Administration’s Office of Inspector General for its work in examining this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Brandon Long is prosecuting the case.