STONE MOUNTAIN, Ga. — A former Social Security Administration employee living in Georgia pleaded guilty to stealing benefits from disabled Americans while working for the government, the U.S. Department of Justice announced.
Latonja Goodrum, 55 of Stone Mountain, pleaded guilty to a charge of theft of government funds.
The money came out of the budget for Supplemental Security Income benefits, meant for disabled Americans unable to work.
The SSI payments are typically paid every month to disabled children, disabled adults, and individuals aged 65 or older who are citizens or nationals of the United States.
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According to officials, Goodrum used her position at the SSA to unlawfully access and use sensitive and personal information.
By doing so, U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan said Goodrum stole thousands of dollars from Americans in critical need of the funds.
“Goodrum abused her position at the agency to unlawfully access and use sensitive and personal information to steal thousands of dollars from individuals in critical need of these funds,” Buchanan said.
USDOJ said Goodrum was a claims specialist at the Decatur SSA office from June to August 2022.
While working in the office, Goodrum accessed the information of six SSI beneficiaries to divert one-time lump sump payments to her PayPal account, instead of to the people they were meant for.
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After the money was in her PayPal account, Goodrum transferred it to her bank, then re-accessed the beneficiaries’ Social Security records to change the banking information listed back to that of the victims to “conceal her scheme,” according to officials.
A supervisor from the SSA eventually found the fraud and contacted the agency’s Office of the Inspector General, which investigated the situation, USDOJ said.
In total, Goodrum stole more than $15,000. After being confronted by law enforcement, Goodrum admitted to the crime and was fired from her position with the SSA.
“Former SSA employee Goodrum admitted to inappropriately using information in SSA records to steal money from SSI recipients, seemingly without regard for their needs. Her actions were selfish and criminal,” Gail S. Ennis, Inspector General for the Social Security Administration said. “She misused her position of public trust with SSA and knowingly took money from individuals who rely on SSA employees for assistance in critical times. My office will continue to investigate those who violate SSA programs and operations. I thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane C. Schulman for prosecuting this case.”
According to the Justice Department, Goodrum will be back in court on Jan. 22, 2024 for a sentencing hearing.
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