The United States Attorney Jan Sharp announced that 55-year-old Derek Miller, formerly of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced today in Lincoln by United States District Judge John M. Gerrard for making a false statement and representation in a Social Security Administration form.

Miller was sentenced to 22 months in prison and 3 years of supervised release with special conditions and was also ordered to pay restitution of $24,552.00.

Social Security Disability is a resource-based program providing monthly benefits to people with limited income and resources who are disabled.  Benefits eligibility for SSI is determined in part on all available resources, assets, income, and living arrangements.

In determining an individual’s eligibility for SSI benefits the beneficiary/applicant is required to provide the Social Security Administration with information concerning assets owned by the applicant including money within the bank, any real property owned, and additional vehicles the individual may own.  An SSI recipient has the duty to alert the SSA regarding any changes in their resources that may affect their SSI benefits.

Miller began receiving SSI benefits in 2009 and continued to receive SSI benefits until April of 2019.  Similarly, between November of 2009 and March of 2019, Miller received Medicaid benefits.  Between March of 2013 through September 2017, he received SNAP benefits.  During that time, he made misrepresentations in his application/reapplication paperwork to each entity. He additionally overstated his medical disability.

Miller indicated the only employment he engaged in was occasionally washing cars.  Contrary to this assertion, Miller owned and operated his own vehicle repossession business.  Due to Miller’s misrepresentation, he received a total of $81,568 SSI benefits; $301,391.77 in Medicaid benefits; and $5,038 in SNAP benefits that he was not otherwise entitled to.

This case was investigated by the Office of Inspector General for the Social Security Administration and the Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services.