A Belle Vernon woman has been sentenced to one year of probation and ordered to pay $116,758 in restitution after being convicted of social security fraud and theft of government property. The sentencing was announced by Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti.
United States District Judge J. Nicholas Ranjan imposed the sentence on Teresa Sabolek, 68.
According to court information, Sabolek applied for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits through the Social Security Administration (SSA) in May 2009. SSI is a needs-based program for people with disabilities or elderly individuals who have little or no income. Applicants must report their wages, assets, and living arrangements as part of the eligibility determination process.
Sabolek claimed in her application that her husband did not live with her at their Belle Vernon home. In June 2022, she submitted a signed statement under penalty of perjury maintaining that her husband had not lived with her since she first applied for SSI in 2009. Later that year, when Sabolek applied for spousal benefits on her husband’s Social Security record, an SSA clerk found a sworn statement from the husband indicating he shared a residence with his wife.
An investigation by the SSA’s Office of the Inspector General found that the husband's driver’s license, mailing address, and registered vehicles were all linked to the same address where Sabolek claimed to live alone for over thirteen years. In December 2024, agents visited the residence; they determined that the husband had a room there and paid both the mortgage and utilities. If Sabolek had disclosed this information to SSA, she would not have qualified for any SSI benefits. She received $116,758 in benefits between May 2009 and August 2022 for which she was not eligible.
Assistant United States Attorney Brendan J. McKenna prosecuted the case.
Acting United States Attorney Rivetti stated: "I commend the Social Security Administration’s Office of the Inspector General for their investigation leading to this successful prosecution."
