A Freeport woman was arrested and charged with grand larceny for allegedly receiving her grandmother’s Social Security benefits for more than a decade after the woman died.
Alexandria Sobrane, 46, was arraigned on March 19 before Judge Marie McCormack on a charge of third-degree grand larceny (a D felony). Sobrane was released on her own recognizance and is due back in court on March 27. If convicted of the charge, the defendant faces a potential maximum of two and one-third years to seven years in prison.
Hannah Sobrane, the defendant’s grandmother, who was born in 1920 and wrote children’s books under the nom de plume of Babe Power, began receiving Social Security retirement benefits in her pen name in 1985. After she passed away in 2008, Alexandria Sobrane allegedly continued to cash her grandmother’s Social security checks at a local grocery store. Later, Alexandria Sobrane allegedly contacted the Social Security Administration and requested that the benefits be deposited on a debit card. She allegedly received approximately $48,335 in SSA benefits that she was not entitled to.
Sobrane was arrested Tuesday by members of the Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General.
“The defendant allegedly bilked the Social Security Administration out of nearly $50,000 by continuing to cash her grandmother’s check well after the woman passed away in 2008,” Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly said. “Social Security retirement benefits are meant to help Americans in their golden years, not enrich criminals. I thank our partners at the Social Security Administration’s Office of Inspector General for partnering with my office on this investigation.”
“Failing to report the death of an individual to gain control of their Social Security benefits is a federal crime,” added Social Security Administration Inspector General Gail S. Ennis. “We work closely with our law enforcement partners to identify these cases, investigate perpetrators, and seek prosecution. I thank the Nassau District Attorney’s Office for working with us and prosecuting this case.”