LAFAYETTE, La. -United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced today that William Joseph Folse, Jr., 51, of Scott, La., pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge C. Michael Hill, to making false statements to the Social Security Administration (SSA) concerning his disability status in order to receive nearly $200,000 in fraudulent benefits.
According to evidence presented at the guilty plea, Folse applied for and was granted benefits for total disability in the 1990s for a slip and fall accident. He also signed paperwork acknowledging that he would report his change in job status should he return to work. Investigators later determined that Folse worked at a restaurant in Lafayette since 1998 and earned more than $12,000 per year plus tips. It is estimated that he improperly received $199,007.80 from the SSA.
Folse faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison, a $250,000 fine, restitution, and three years of supervised release. A sentencing date of May 16, 2014 was set.
The Social Security Administration conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Howard C. Parker is prosecuting the case.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
