U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk has sentenced Shamari Jackson, a 33-year-old resident of St. Louis, to five years of probation and 40 hours of community service for stealing government benefits meant for her deceased grandmother. The ruling was made on Tuesday.
Jackson accessed $13,047 in Social Security benefits using her grandmother's debit card. These funds continued to be deposited into the account after the grandmother's death went unreported to the Social Security Administration. Additionally, Jackson used a $1,200 COVID-19 stimulus payment intended for her grandmother.
In U.S. District Court in St. Louis, Jackson pleaded guilty to one felony count of theft of government money.
The case was investigated by the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane Klocke.
