WCBC

June 11th, 2015 by WCBC Radio

William Eugene Simms, age 62, of Oakland, Maryland pleaded guilty today to theft of government property. The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein and Special Agent in Charge Michael McGill of the Social Security Administration (SSA) – Office of Inspector General, Philadelphia Field Division. According to his plea agreement, in July 2009, Simms applied for SSA disability benefits, claiming that he was unable to work due to a back injury.  In April 2010, Simms began working at an automobile salvage business and did not report this return to work to the SSA.  In August 2010, Simms began receiving SSA disability benefits and stopped working for a few months.  Within three months, the automobile salvage business rehired Simms, and he began working full time moving aluminum bales.  The business paid Simms in cash to conceal his work from the SSA.  Simms also worked odd jobs elsewhere, including scrapping metal.

 

Simms did not report any of his work to SSA and as a result, from August 2010 to March 2015, Simms fraudulently received $60,890 in disability benefits.

 

Simms faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander has scheduled sentencing for September 15, 2015 at 11:00 a.m.

 

United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein commended the SSA – OIG for its work in the investigation and thanked Special Assistant United States Attorney Lauren E. Perry, on detail from the Social Security Administration, who is prosecuting the case.