A Philadelphia resident has entered a guilty plea for defrauding the government of over $1 million in benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Medicaid. James Sessoms, aged 60, confessed to his illicit activities before United States District Court Judge Chad F. Kenney. He was charged with one count of SNAP fraud, seven counts of false statements regarding healthcare benefits, and seven counts of Social Security fraud. His actions resulted in a total financial loss of $1,063,633 to the government.
Sessoms was originally indicted in October 2024. From November 2019 to November 2023, he exploited stolen identities and Social Security numbers to obtain and sell SNAP and Medicaid benefits unlawfully. This involved submitting applications laced with false identification documents to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (PA DHS).
To enhance his scheme, Sessoms created fictitious individuals, including family members, to inflate the benefits received. He utilized valid Social Security numbers assigned to other people, which enabled him to manipulate the system to gain more funds. He admitted to submitting fraudulent driver's licenses and birth certificates as part of his deceitful actions.
Federal funding supported the Medicaid and SNAP benefits dispensed to Sessoms through the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services. Consequently, these benefits extended not only to his aliases but also to the fictitious family members he included in his fraudulent applications.
The case is the result of an investigation by several inspector general offices, including the USDA, Social Security Administration, HHS, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Pennsylvania Office of State Inspector General. Sessoms' sentencing is set for August 21, where he faces a potential maximum sentence of 90 years in prison. Special Assistant United States Attorney Megan Curran is responsible for his prosecution.
