An Essex County man has been sentenced to a total of 46 months in prison for stealing federal benefits intended for the disabled child of his missing former girlfriend and for violating supervised release. Announcing the sentencing, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba stated that Asmar Earp, 37, of Newark, New Jersey, will serve 38 months for federal benefit theft and an additional 8 months for supervised release violations.
Earp had earlier pleaded guilty in Newark federal court before U.S. District Judge Evelyn Padin to charges including two counts of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft.
Documents and court statements revealed Earp's involvement in the fraudulent activity following the disappearance of his then-girlfriend, V.W., with whom he shared a residence. V.W. was receiving monthly Social Security benefits on behalf of her disabled minor son, known as Victim-1. After V.W. went missing on December 24, 2017, Earp gained unauthorized access to Victim-1’s benefits by changing the PIN on the debit card linked to those funds. In early 2018, Earp further manipulated the system by using V.W.'s personal information to request a replacement card, enabling continuous access to the funds. These fraudulent actions continued from December 2017 to February 2020.
The investigation that led to Earp’s sentencing was credited to special agents from the Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General, Boston New York Field Division, led by Special Agent-in-Charge Amy Connelly, along with the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office under Acting Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens II.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel H. Rosenblum of the Narcotics/OCDETF Unit in Newark represented the government in this case.
