Less than a month ago, the U.S. District Attorney’s Office launched the Benefit & Voter Fraud Team.
(See my earlier post: U.S. District Attorney’s Office Launches Taskforce to Crackdown on Benefit Fraud in Massachusetts.)
The team apparently wasted no time tracking down potential social security fraud.
Yesterday, Jennifer Valley, 51, of Barre, was charged with one count of theft of government money.
According to investigators, Valley allegedly stole about $100,218 in Social Security retirement benefits between October 2022 and August 2025.
Today, Leidy E. Otero, 43, of Gardner, was charged with one count of receipt of stolen government money or property and one count of Social Security fraud – concealment.
Officials claim that Otero wrongfully received an estimated $185,266 in Social Security disability benefits.
Moreover, Otero allegedly concealed material information from the Social Security Administration with the intent to unlawfully obtain Social Security funds.
The proceedings for both women will take place in Worcester’s federal court.
If convicted, both Valley and Otero face up to ten years in federal prison.