Skip to main content
Press Release

Cleveland man indicted for cashing $175,000 worth of dead mother's Social Security checks

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Ohio

A federal grand jury indicted Marion Sobkowiak, 66, of Cleveland, for theft of government funds, said Steven M. Dettelbach, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio.

The indictment alleges that Sobkowiak fraudulently cashed his deceased mother’s Social Security widow’s benefits checks from January 1998 until April 2014, taking a total of $175,477 in benefits to which he was not entitled.

The Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General conducted the investigation.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Miranda E. Dugi and Special Assistant United States Attorney Lisa J. Sanniti.

If convicted, the court will determine the defendant’s sentence after a review of factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense, and the characteristics of the violation.  In all cases, the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum.  In most cases, it will be less than the maximum.

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt.  A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government's burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Updated April 21, 2015

Topic
Financial Fraud