Federal prosecutors have secured a conviction against a Florida woman who withdrew more than $152,000 in Social Security retirement benefits intended for her deceased great-aunt.
Asha Anderson, 48, of Pompano Beach, was found guilty of theft of government funds and Social Security fraud after a six-day trial, says the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida.
Court documents show that Anderson’s great-aunt received Social Security retirement benefits through direct deposits into her bank account. After her great-aunt died, the Social Security Administration continued making monthly deposits because it had not been notified of her death.
Between April 2017 and December 2022, Anderson repeatedly accessed her late great-aunt’s bank account and withdrew more than $152,000 in retirement benefits she was not entitled to receive.
Says U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones,
“Social Security is funded by the hard work of American taxpayers and exists to support those who are lawfully entitled to its benefits. For nearly six years, Asha Anderson stole more than $152,000 in benefits intended for her deceased great-aunt. Today’s jury verdict makes clear that those who steal from programs Americans depend on will be investigated, prosecuted, and held accountable.”
Anderson faces up to 10 years in prison on the theft count and up to five years on the fraud count.
Investigators from the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General handled the case under docket number 25-cr-60312.
