A former Social Security Administration (SSA) employee from Winder pled guilty to theft of government property and aggravated identity theft.
According to U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia Theodore S. Hertzberg, 47-year-old Christina Daniels used her position at the SSA office in Norcross to change the direct deposit information for approximately 28 beneficiaries.
“As an employee of the Social Security Administration, Daniels was entrusted with access to millions of beneficiaries’ personally identifiable information. She abused that trust by accessing sensitive information and using it to steal from the very people she was hired to serve,” Hertzberg said.
The crimes allegedly happened between January 2023 to May 2024. As a customer service representative, Daniels allegedly stole more than $110,000.
She allegedly opened Green Dot and Cash App accounts using personally identifiable information belonging to the beneficiaries.
An internal investigation was launched after several recipients reported not receiving their monthly payments.
Subsequent investigations determined some of the beneficiaries were Daniels’ own family members.
Daniels pled guilty to one count of theft of government money and one count of aggravated identity theft.
Sentencing will be determined at a future date, but the theft of government money charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and the aggravated identity theft charge carries a mandatory sentence of two years.
