Ex-Modesto charity worker sentenced for stealing $500,000 from Social Security recipients
A Ceres woman was sentenced to three years and one month in federal prison for stealing over half a million dollars from Social Security recipients, according to a U.S. Justice Department release.
Lorene Deanda, 64, worked at a Modesto-based charitable organization as the manager of a program that assisted those with Social Security and state benefits that could not physically manage their own affairs.
Deanda would set up bank accounts on behalf of these recipients, which were supposed to pay for their bills and necessities. Instead, she used the money from these accounts to pay for her own bills, such as credit cards and a mortgage, for over a decade.
From 2003 to May 2015, Deandra stole a total of more than $550,000 in both state and federal benefit funds from intended recipients.
The case was investigated by the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General and the FBI. Federal attorneys prosecuted the case.
