A South Bay man who defrauded the local Social Security office where he used to work has been ordered to pay $9,045 on terms of five years probation.
No further jail time was ordered for Josue Edgardo Castro, 29, who pleaded guilty of theft of public property. Castro worked in the downtown Social Security Administration office from 2009 to May, 2016.
U.S. District Court Judge Cynthia Bashant ordered $5,735 forfeited from his assets which represents the amount taken from Social Security.
The $9,045 amount reflects what Social Security lost when Castro waived outstanding balances that were due to the agency. A woman who noticed her payment to Social Security was not listed in their records alerted officials to the fraud.
The U.S. Attorney’s office said Castro waived overpayment balances to cover up his crime and cashed $5,734 in 21 money orders that people brought to the office. Bank records showed Castro deposited these money orders into his credit union account.
He could have been sentenced to a maximum 10-year term in state prison. Castro had no prior record. He worked as a service representative and resigned after he was confronted by investigators.
