Nitro woman pleads guilty to defrauding social security

CHARLESTON, W. Va. -  Linda Alford of Nitro West Virginia, pleaded guilty today in federal court in Charleston admitting she had defrauded the Social Security Administration, announced United States Attorney Booth Goodwin.  Alford, 65, faces ten years in prison, a fine of $250,000 and three years of supervised release when she is sentenced on December 21, 2015.  As part of her plea, Alford agreed to pay more than $130,000 in restitution.

Alford was receiving survivor benefits from the Social Security Administration after her spouse died in 1990.  In 1997, Alford remarried, which made her ineligible for the benefits. Alford did not report her change in marital status to the Social Security Administration and continued to receive the survivors benefits to which she was no longer entitled. From 1997 to 2013, Alford withdrew more than $130,000 in benefit payments and spent the money knowing that she was not entitled to it. 

The United States Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General conducted the investigation.  Assistant United States Attorney Erik S. Goes is responsible for the prosecution.