Leah B. Foley United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts | Department of Justice
James C. Burdulis, a 57-year-old resident of Lynn, pleaded guilty on April 7 in federal court in Boston to charges of receiving stolen Social Security benefits and making false statements.
The case centers on approximately $63,959 in Social Security benefits that Burdulis received between June 2019 and June 2025. These funds were intended for a beneficiary who had died in May 2019. Before the beneficiary's death, Burdulis had been appointed as their representative payee to manage the Social Security benefits and submit regular reports to the Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to court documents, from June 2020 through June 2024, Burdulis submitted five fraudulent representative payee reports under penalty of perjury. In these reports, he claimed he spent the SSA funds on behalf of the deceased beneficiary after their death. Additionally, in September 2020, he submitted a verification form falsely stating that the deceased individual continued living at their previous address.
Burdulis was charged on March 26 with one count each of receiving stolen government money or property and making false statements. U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs scheduled sentencing for July 8. The charge related to stolen government money carries a maximum sentence of ten years in prison and up to $250,000 in fines or twice the gross gain or loss involved; the false statement charge carries up to five years imprisonment with similar financial penalties.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Amy Connelly, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General's Boston Field Division announced the plea agreement. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Nagelberg is prosecuting.
