PORTLAND — Waldoboro resident Deborah L. Moore, 68, pleaded guilty March 30 to Supplemental Security Income (SSI) fraud and theft of public money in U.S. District Court in Portland before Judge Jon Levy. The case spanned a period of 14 years.

Moore was prosecuted by U.S. Attorney Darcie N. McElwee following an investigation conducted by the Social Security Administration (SSA) Office of the Inspector General.

She faces up to five years in prison on the Social Security fraud charge, up to 10 years in prison on the theft of public money charge, a fine of up to $250,000 on both charges, and up to three years of supervised release. She will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office.

According to court records, from about July 2005 through April 2019, Moore was a recipient of Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and concealed the presence of her husband in her household to maintain her eligibility to receive benefit payments. Moore’s husband had sufficient income to render her ineligible for the benefits she received.

Moore initially applied for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits on Oct. 13, 2004, noting on her application that she was married, and that her husband was a part of her household, earning $1280 to $1600 per month.

Her claim for SSI was denied on the basis of her husband’s income.

The defendant again applied for SSI on July 14, 2005. On this application, she represented that, as of June 1, 2005, she lived with her spouse, and a non-relative, but that as of July 9, 2005, her spouse no longer lived in her household due to a separation, and she did not receive any support, according to the court document.

Moore’s application was approved, and she was awarded SSI benefits as of July 2005. However, contrary to her representations, the defendant continued to live with her husband and he remained part of her household.

The state said the SSA learned of the fraud when Moore’s husband applied for disability benefits and used the same address and telephone number that the agency had on file for the defendant. 

“She knew that she was required to report the people living with her, her income and resources, as well as any changes in her living circumstances to the Social Security Administration (SSA),” the prosecution said.

During the investigation, Moore was interviewed by law enforcement agents and she admitted to concealing her living situation from SSA because she knew it would make her ineligible to receive SSI.

Sarah Shepherd can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com