Plaquemine Man Sentenced to 12 Months in Federal Prison for Stealing Over $450,000 in a Fraudulent Social Security Benefits Scheme
From the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Middle District of Louisiana:
United States Attorney Brandon J. Fremin announced that U.S. District Judge John W. deGravelles sentenced Donald Daigle, age 63, of Plaquemine, Louisiana, to twelve months and one day in federal prison following his conviction for fraudulently obtaining disability payments from the Social Security Administration. The Court further sentenced Daigle to two years of supervised release following his term of imprisonment
According to admissions made as part of his guilty plea in November 2019, Daigle falsely claimed he was disabled and unable to work as a result of a 1998 automobile accident. He also admitted that from June 2002 through October 2018, on numerous occasions he concealed and failed to disclose to the Social Security Administration that he built, opened and ran daily operations as a small business owner, Duck’s Quick Stop and Pizza, in Plaquemine, Louisiana until it closed in 2009. Thereafter, Daigle failed to disclose that he performed work as a commercial truck driver and as a forklift operator employed at a chemical plant. He further admitted that, as a result of his fraudulent scheme, he knowingly and illegally collected $457,460 in payments to which he was neither entitled nor eligible. As part of his sentence, Daigle has been ordered make full restitution to the Social Security Administration
U.S. Attorney Fremin stated, “I commend the efforts of our prosecutor and our partners at the Social Security Administration’s Office of the Inspector General for bringing this defendant to justice. Social programs are designed for those in our society who legitimately need help. Today’s sentence should serve as a warning that my office will vigorously pursue those who game the system.”
This investigation was conducted by the Dallas Field Division of the Social Security Administration’s Office of Inspector General and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lyman E. Thornton III.
United States Attorney Brandon J. Fremin announced that U.S. District Judge John W. deGravelles sentenced Donald Daigle, age 63, of Plaquemine, Louisiana, to twelve months and one day in federal prison following his conviction for fraudulently obtaining disability payments from the Social Security Administration. The Court further sentenced Daigle to two years of supervised release following his term of imprisonment
According to admissions made as part of his guilty plea in November 2019, Daigle falsely claimed he was disabled and unable to work as a result of a 1998 automobile accident. He also admitted that from June 2002 through October 2018, on numerous occasions he concealed and failed to disclose to the Social Security Administration that he built, opened and ran daily operations as a small business owner, Duck’s Quick Stop and Pizza, in Plaquemine, Louisiana until it closed in 2009. Thereafter, Daigle failed to disclose that he performed work as a commercial truck driver and as a forklift operator employed at a chemical plant. He further admitted that, as a result of his fraudulent scheme, he knowingly and illegally collected $457,460 in payments to which he was neither entitled nor eligible. As part of his sentence, Daigle has been ordered make full restitution to the Social Security Administration
U.S. Attorney Fremin stated, “I commend the efforts of our prosecutor and our partners at the Social Security Administration’s Office of the Inspector General for bringing this defendant to justice. Social programs are designed for those in our society who legitimately need help. Today’s sentence should serve as a warning that my office will vigorously pursue those who game the system.”
This investigation was conducted by the Dallas Field Division of the Social Security Administration’s Office of Inspector General and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lyman E. Thornton III.