PITTSBURGH WOMAN CHARGED WITH ILLEGALLY RECEIVING $100,000 IN SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS
United States Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan announced today, March 31, 2009, that Anne Lee Brown, a/k/a Sharmine Locklear, a/k/a Sharmine Jackson, a/k/a Anne Kirkland, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on a charge of theft of government property.
The one-count indictment named Brown, age 72, as the sole defendant.
According to the indictment, from in and around October 1993, and continuing thereafter until in and around October 2008, Brown used multiple names and identities to receive over $100,005.47 in benefits to which she was not entitled from the Social Security Administration.
Assistant United States Attorney Scott W. Brady, who presented the case to the grand jury, indicated that the law provides for a maximum total sentence of ten (10) 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.
The Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General, conducted the investigation leading to the indictment in this case.
An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
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