GRAMERCY WOMAN INDICTED FOR THEFT OF PUBLIC MONEY
SHEILA MORRIS, age 61, a resident of Gramercy, Louisiana, was charged in a one-count indictment by a Federal Grand Jury with Theft of Public Money, announced U. S. Attorney Jim Letten.
According to the indictment, SHEILA MORRIS’s father was a qualified recipient of Social Security benefits. Following her father’s death in October 1994, and continuing through September 2011, MORRIS received and negotiated, by in some cases forging her father’s signature, on United States Treasury checks made payable to her father. The indictment charges that, in total, MORRIS stole approximately $261,665.00 in money belonging to the United States and to which she was not entitled.
If convicted, MORRIS faces a maximum term of imprisonment of ten (10) years, a fine of $250,000, or both, and three (3) years of supervised release following any term of imprisonment.
U. S. Attorney Letten reiterated that the indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
The case was investigated by Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Hayden Brockett
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