Essex County Woman Charged with Stealing over $1 Million in Federal Retirement Benefits Intended for Deceased Aunt

NEWARK, N.J. – An Essex County, New Jersey, woman was arrested today for allegedly stealing over $1 million of federal benefits meant for her deceased aunt over a 25-year period, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.

Janis Miller, 77, of South Orange, New Jersey, is charged by complaint with one count of wire fraud. She appeared today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jessica S. Allen in Newark federal court and was released on $100,000 unsecured bond.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

In 1998, Miller’s aunt died. Unaware of her death, the Social Security Administration (SSA) and the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) paid approximately $1.01 million in retirement and survivor benefits to the bank account of Miller’s deceased aunt. By debit card, cash withdrawals, and forged checks made out to a company Miller controlled, Miller unlawfully disbursed virtually all of those embezzled funds. In 2022, to continue her unlawful receipt of the benefits, Miller, in a telephone conversation with an SSA employee, impersonated her deceased aunt and provided her aunt’s approximate birthdate. OPM and SSA discovered the fraud and discontinued the benefits in 2023, around 25 years after Miller began stealing those benefits.

The count of wire fraud is punishable by a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a maximum fine of the greatest of either $250,000 or twice the pecuniary gain or loss caused by the offense, whichever is greatest.

U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Sharon MacDermott, and U.S. Office of Personnel Management, Office of the Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Paul Kimball, with the investigation leading to today’s charge.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sam Thypin-Bermeo of the General Crimes Unit in Newark.

The charge and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.