NEW YORK (1010 WINS/ WCBS 880 NEWS) – A New Jersey woman was arrested on Thursday after allegedly stealing over her deceased aunt’s federal benefits of $1 million for the past 25 years, prosecutors said.
Janis Miller, 77, of South Orange, is charged by complaint with one count of wire fraud.
Miller’s aunt died in 1998 and the Social Security Administration was unaware of her death.
The U.S. Office of Personnel Management paid nearly $1.01 million in retirement and survivor benefits to Miller’s deceased aunt’s bank account, according to court documents.
Miller was allegedly able to disburse the money through using debit card, cash withdrawals and forged checks made out to a company Miller controlled.
She also allegedly impersonated her deceased aunt in 2022 while on the phone with an SSA employee.
Nearly 25 years later, OPM and SSA discovered the fraud and discontinued the benefits in 2023.
She was released on $100,000 unsecured bond.
The wire fraud charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a fine of either $250,000 or double the money involved in the fraud, whichever is higher.