Brian Gill, age 60, of Andes, New York, was sentenced on June 3 to five years’ probation and ordered to pay $117,015.40 in restitution for a charge of social security fraud.
First Assistant United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Amy Connelly, Special Agent in Charge of the Boston/New York Field Division of the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General (SSA-OIG), made the announcement.
As part of his guilty plea, Gill admitted that between January 2021 and November 2023 he collected social security disability benefits while also managing and personally engaging in physical labor for a tree services company he owned and operated. He further admitted that he concealed from the Social Security Administration that he was working and falsely stated on an SSA form that he had not been working.
Sarcone said, “Social Security Disability fraud is a serious offense that robs taxpayers of funds needed to assist those who are truly unable to work. Thanks to the diligent efforts of our law enforcement partners, people who try to game the system, like this defendant, are identified and held accountable.”
“Individuals who deliberately conceal work activity while receiving Social Security disability benefits undermine programs intended to support those with legitimate needs,” said Connelly. “We remain committed to investigating allegations of fraud and working with our law enforcement partners to ensure those who exploit these programs are held accountable.”
Chief United States District Judge Brenda K. Sannes imposed conditions including regular reporting to a probation officer; at least monthly restitution payments; reporting income and earnings; as well as prohibitions against drug use and firearms possession.
The case was investigated by the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General with assistance from the Offices of the New York State Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ben Gillis and Adrian LaRochelle prosecuted it.
The U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of New York covers 32 counties in northern and central New York over more than 30,000 square miles with about 3.4 million residents; it prosecutes federal criminal cases, defends civil matters on behalf of the United States, includes about 50 Assistant United States Attorneys along with more than 50 support staff across offices in Albany, Binghamton, Plattsburgh, and Syracuse; it is part of the Department of Justice supporting community wellness through coordinated law enforcement initiatives, according to its official website.
