Cleveland woman charged with stealing nearly $190,000 from Social Security

A criminal information was filed in U.S. District Court today charging Barbara J. Clark, 62, of Cleveland, with theft of public money, said Steven M. Dettelbach, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio.

The alleged theft, occurring between1983 and 2014, resulted in a loss of approximately $188,973 to the Social Security Administration.

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

If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the court after 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 and in most cases it will be less than the maximum.

A criminal information 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.