BANGOR, Maine — An Eddington woman who collected more than $45,000 in Social Security benefits for seven years after her disabled daughter was removed from her care was sentenced Friday in federal court in Bangor to one month in prison followed by five months of home confinement.
Felicia M. Brooks, 48, also was sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to repay $45,441 to the government. Under federal law, restitution is mandatory.
She faced up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. Under the federal sentencing guidelines, the recommended sentence was between six and 12 months in federal prison.
U.S. District Judge John Woodcock ordered her to report to prison on Nov. 7. The delay will give the U.S. Bureau of Prisons time to determine where she will serve her sentence.
Brooks continued to receive and spend disability benefits for her developmentally disabled daughter, now 17, through mid-April 2007. The child began receiving benefits in 1998 but was removed from her custody by the Maine Department of Human Services in June 2000. Brooks did not re-gain custody of her daughter, according to court documents.
By pleading guilty in May to the fraudulent conversion of Social Security benefits, Brooks admitted that she had lied to the Social Security Administration about where her daughter was living.
Brooks, who receives Social Security benefits herself due to mental health issues, was convicted in 1996 in state court of theft and other charges in a similar incident. She told a DHS worker that she had not received a welfare check that she had already cashed. Brooks was issued a replacement check that she also cashed. She was sentenced to community service by a District Court judge in Skowhegan.
On 10/3/08 at 5:00 PM,
hossthehermit wrote:
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Obviously a lot of government oversight on the money they hand out, how did this continue for 7 years?????
On 10/3/08 at 7:30 PM,
whitnmeme wrote:
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Good question. You would think where ever the daughter was she would of needed her benefits to support her.
On 10/3/08 at 7:55 PM,
OutsideObserver wrote:
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Why do minors get Social Security anyways? The mother was receiving welfare AND Social Security for the daughter? Sounds like a lot of double dipping.
On 10/4/08 at 7:53 AM,
karlajs wrote:
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outsideobserver, have you ever heard of a disability? my niece has cerebral palsy and receives social security. when one is unable to walk, care for oneself,or work due to a disfiguring disability then they are entitled to collect ss benefits. not necessarily double dipping.
On 10/4/08 at 12:07 PM,
OutsideObserver wrote:
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Karlas, I have heard of disability, however, my belief was that Social Security is for those that cannot work due to disability, a child cannot work, but is not a breadwinner for a family, that's my confusion. I just don't understand how someone can collect TANF for a child, while the child receives Social Security too. So, in reality, it's okay and the norm for someone with a disabled child to double collect? I'm not certain, that's why I'm questioning.
On 10/4/08 at 12:21 PM,
Cherry wrote:
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I can't believe once the state took this child into their custody, they didn't start collecting her disability to help support her. Foster care payments to help support a child with a disability are higher than for children who do not have special needs and DHHS should have been receiving her social security checks. And to educate OutsideObserver, a person who is disabled can receive social security regardless of their age and their ability to be a breadwinner or not. When a family applies for TANF, their social security benefits are factored into the equation and counted as income, so any TANF benefits will be affected by their income. So, it's not double dipping at all. peace and love.
On 10/4/08 at 8:34 PM,
OutsideObserver wrote:
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Thank you for the explanation, cherry, I honestly assumed it would be one or the other, thanks again for the clarification. I still can't say that I agree with and/or completely understand though.
On 10/7/08 at 9:36 PM,
dregsfan wrote:
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good point about double dipping.SS and Medicaid should ONLY be for people who have paid into the system.The scam now about kids getting extra teachers and aides all paid for by the taxpayers has to stop.And if this woman was getting mental health benefits(another scam)then she was home to take care of her child.Benefits for both should be canceled immediately and benefits should be for physical disabilities only and for taxpayers.
On 10/8/08 at 7:11 AM,
anne_of_mdi wrote:
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Social Security also covers children of people who have paid into the system. Dregsfan you need to study up on equal justice and equality under the law. Because children with disabilities cannot work, our taxes will protect and care for them one way or another in this great nation of, by and for (all of) the people. That is something you're supposed to be proud of. By the way, the word "dregs" is defined as "the least valuable part of anything." Odd that you should be a fan.
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