Poland Man Sentenced, Ordered to Repay $45,615.78 for Theft of Government Money

PORTLAND, Maine: A Poland man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Portland for Social Security fraud.

U.S. District Judge Nancy Torresen sentenced Peter Files, 60, to 30 months of probation and ordered him to pay $45,615.78 in restitution. Files pleaded guilty on May 8, 2025.

According to court records, Files lied to the Maine Department of Health & Human Services (DHHS) for more than a decade. In multiple benefit eligibility reviews, Files falsely represented to Maine DHHS that he and his wife lived separately, and he omitted her presence from his household. Files knew that he was required to disclose that information, and that it could affect his eligibility for benefits. When interviewed by federal investigators, Files acknowledged that he had lived with his wife during the relevant period.

Files’ wife, Susie Files, previously pleaded guilty to Social Security and SNAP fraud on May 19, 2025. Her sentencing is scheduled for September 18, 2025.

The Social Security Administration’s Office of the Inspector General and Maine DHHS’s Fraud Investigation and Recovery Unit investigated the case.

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