Freeport women arrested for allegedly collecting more than $48k in Social Security benefits fraudulently

Freeport women arrested for allegedly collecting more than $48k in Social Security benefits fraudulently.

Alexandria Sobrane, 46, of Freeport, was arrested on Tuesday, and charged with grand larceny for allegedly receiving her deceased grandmother’s Social Security benefits for over a decade.

Sobrane was arraigned before Judge Marie McCormack on a charge of Grand Larceny in the third degree.

Released on her own recognizance, she is scheduled to appear in court on March 27.

If convicted, Sobrane could face a maximum of two and one-third to seven years in prison.

“The defendant allegedly bilked the Social Security Administration out of nearly $50,000 by continuing to cash her grandmother’s check well after the woman passed away in 2008,” district attorney Anne Donnelly said in a release.

“Social Security retirement benefits are meant to help Americans in their golden years, not enrich criminals,” the DA added. “I thank our partners at the Social Security Administration’s Office of Inspector General for partnering with my office on this investigation.”

“Failing to report the death of an individual to gain control of their Social Security benefits is a federal crime,” said Gail S. Ennis, inspector general of the social security administration.

“We work closely with our law enforcement partners to identify these cases, investigate perpetrators, and seek prosecution. I thank the Nassau District Attorney’s Office for working with us and prosecuting this case.”

The investigation revealed that Sobrane’s grandmother, Hannah Sobrane, born in 1920, received Social Security retirement benefits under the name Babe Power.

After Hannah’s passing, Sobrane is alleged to have continued cashing the checks and later requested the benefits be deposited onto a debit card, approximately $48,335 according to the investigation.

Sobrane was apprehended on Tuesday by members of the Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General.

The case is being prosecuted by Senior Investigative Counsel Christine Burke of the Revenue, Auto, Insurance, and Labor Crime Bureau. Sobrane was represented at arraignment by the Legal Aid Society.

The charges are allegations, and Sobrane is presumed innocent until proven guilty.