May 17, 2007

SHASTA COUNTY MAN SENTENCED TO PRISON FOR CLAIMING THREE FICTITIOUS CHILDREN FOR SSI BENEFITS

SACRAMENTO--United States Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced today that CHARLES EDWARD WILLIAMS, 67, of Palo Cedro, California, was sentenced today by United States District Judge William B. Shubb to serve two years in federal prison and pay restitution in the amount of $31,776 for theft from the Social Security Administration (SSA).

The defendant entered a guilty plea on February 5, 2007. This case is the product of an investigation by the Office of the Inspector General of the Social Security Administration. According to Assistant United States Attorney Matthew Stegman, who prosecuted the case, in 2001, WILLIAMS filed an application in the Redding SSA office to be a representative payee for three fictitious children. He provided birth and baptismal certificates for the children. The youngest child was supposedly born in Shasta County.

In fact, a birth certificate was on file at the Shasta County Recorders Office, but it was proved to be false. The document did not have a doctor's signature and it falsely showed that the child was born at WILLIAMS' residence. The other two fictitious children were supposedly born in Lake County, California. However, Lake County had no such birth certificates on file. WILLIAMS received $31,776 in benefits on behalf of these three fictitious children for the period of October 2000 to August 2003.