Fraud In Texas

From KLTV in Tyler, TX:

United States Attorney John L. Ratcliffe announced today that a Troup couple has pleaded guilty to Social Security benefits fraud in the Eastern District of Texas. Dale Lowery, 54, and Brenda Lowery, 48, both of Troup, were indicted in February 2008 and charged with theft of government property. They both pleaded guilty today before United States Magistrate Judge John D. Love. According to information presented in court, on August 31, 2003, Brenda Lowery applied for Social Security benefits ion behalf of her minor child on the grounds that the child's father, Dale Lowery, was disabled and receiving benefits. In the application, Lowery represented that the child was living with her and her husband and had lived with them for the previous 13 months. In 2005, Dale Lowery applied with the Social Security Administration to be the representative payee for the child and again represented that the child lived with him. In fact, the child had not lived with either parent since October 2002. As a result of the false applications, the Lowerys received over $28,000.00 in Social Security benefits to which they were not entitled.