According to court documents and statements made in court, in 2021, unidentified fraudsters engaged in a scheme to defraud the Social Security Administration (SSA) using stolen identities. The fraudsters would contact the SSA posing as legitimate Social Security recipients, often presenting the SSA with confidential personal information, like Social Security numbers and dates of birth, to validate their purported identities. They would then instruct the SSA to change the legitimate SSA recipients’ existing bank account deposit information so that monthly SSA payments would be deposited into bank accounts controlled by scheme participants. But, then these fraudsters needed assistance.
Trovoy Dixon was invited to partake in the scheme in the summer of 2021 by one of the unidentified fraudsters using a Jamaican based phone number. This was no party invite. This was an invitation to assist in laundering fraudulently obtained funds from Social Security claims. After agreeing to moving fraudulently obtained money, Dixon was instructed to open several bank accounts. Money generated by the scheme was deposited into the accounts, and Dixon would withdraw the cash. He would then use commercial money transfer services to wire half of the cash to designated bank accounts in either Jamaica or Mexico and keep the rest for himself.
Dixon admitted he intentionally tried to avoid knowing whether the money was obtained illegally, but eventually realized that it was. That didn’t stop him from committing fraud. Even after his accounts were closed on account of suspected fraudulent activity, Dixon opened new accounts to continue his illegal activity. Should have declined the invitation Dixon. On March 8, 2024, Dixon was found guilty of money laundering.
Great job by the Social Security Administration in this case.
Today’s Fraud of The Day is based on article “Bridgeport man pleads guilty to federal money laundering charge in Social Security fraud scheme” posted by CT Post on March 8, 2024
A Bridgeport man who participated in a scheme that funneled illegally obtained money from the Social Security Administration to bank accounts in Jamaica and Mexico has pleaded guilty, according to the Department of Justice.
Trovoy Dixon, 31, pleaded guilty to one count of money laundering, which has a maximum possible prison sentence of 20 years, the department said Friday in a news release. Dixon has agreed to pay $161,000 in restitution as part of the plea agreement. His sentencing is scheduled for June 30. According to the department, Dixon participated in a scheme targeting the Social Security Administration using stolen identities.
