Find Corporate Waste

Tag: Massachusetts

  • Mass. Man Kept $67K Meant for DEAD Social Security Recipient

    Mass. Man Kept $67K Meant for DEAD Social Security Recipient

    A Massachusetts man kept collecting federal benefits for six years after the intended recipient died.

    ⁠James C. Burdulis, 57, of Lynn, MA received $63,959 in Social Security benefits and $3,200 in pandemic stimulus payments intended for a beneficiary who died in May 2019.

    Burdulis had served as the beneficiary’s representative payee.

    Under the ⁠Social Security Administration’s program, a payee must manage benefits in the recipient’s best interest and report changes affecting eligibility.

    Instead, prosecutors said Burdulis filed five fraudulent reports between 2020 and 2024 claiming the money had been spent for the deceased beneficiary.

    He also submitted a September 2020 verification form stating that the beneficiary remained alive at the same address.

    Burdulis pleaded guilty in April to receiving stolen government money and making false statements. He was sentenced to one day in prison, deemed served, followed by three years of supervised release. He must repay $67,159.

  • Massachusetts Man Admits to Taking Nearly $88K in Stolen Social Security Benefits

    Massachusetts Man Admits to Taking Nearly $88K in Stolen Social Security Benefits

    A former Haverhill, Massachusetts resident has pleaded guilty to receiving stolen government money after collecting approximately $87,817 in Social Security disability benefits that continued to be paid following the death of the intended beneficiary.  

    According to the  U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts⁠, Christopher D. Leon, 56, admitted to receiving stolen government funds from November 2019 through August 2025. Prosecutors said Leon was living with the beneficiary when she died and later received a Social Security award notice mailed to his address. After benefits began flowing into the deceased beneficiary’s bank account, Leon allegedly used her debit card to make monthly ATM withdrawals.  

    Leon pleaded guilty on June 10, 2026, to one count of receiving stolen government money or property. Sentencing is scheduled for September 23, 2026. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss.  

    The case was investigated by the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General and prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Massachusetts.  

    For Find Corporate Waste, the case is another reminder that federal benefit programs remain vulnerable to improper payments long after a recipient’s death, creating ongoing taxpayer exposure when safeguards fail.

  • Colombian Woman Sentenced After Stolen Identity Scheme Tied to Voter Fraud and $404K in Benefits

    Colombian Woman Sentenced After Stolen Identity Scheme Tied to Voter Fraud and $404K in Benefits

    A Colombian woman who lived in Boston under a stolen identity for more than two decades was sentenced to 33 months in federal prison, according to the DOJ.

    Prosecutors said Lina Maria Orovio-Hernandez, 60, used the name, date of birth, and Social Security number of a U.S. citizen born in Puerto Rico to obtain Massachusetts IDs, a REAL ID, federal benefits, and to vote in the 2024 presidential election.

    The DOJ said the scheme included approximately $43,348 in SNAP benefits, $101,257 in SSI disability benefits, and $259,589 in Section 8 rental assistance. She was ordered to pay $404,194 in restitution and is subject to deportation after her sentence.

    This is not just a voter-fraud case. It is a cross-system identity-fraud case involving public benefits, housing assistance, state identification, passport screening, and election records.

    For Find Corporate Waste, the key oversight question is simple: how did one stolen identity survive repeated checks across taxpayer-funded systems for more than 20 years?

    Anyone with inside knowledge of identity-verification failures, benefit-screening gaps, or recurring document-fraud patterns in federally funded programs may hold information relevant to public-fraud enforcement.

    If you know how a similar scheme was missed, approved, repeated, or concealed, contact Find Corporate Waste. We protect confidential sources while preserving the right of eligible whistleblowers to seek compensation for reporting fraud against taxpayer-funded programs.