News Releases
FINAL DEFENDANT PLEADS GUILTY IN FRAUDULENT SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER CONSPIRACY
October 14, 2005
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
David E. Nahmias, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia; Roland H. Maye, Special Agent in Charge, Office of Inspector General, Social Security Administration; and Kenneth A. Smith, Special Agent In Charge, Immigration & Customs Enforcement, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, announce that KIMBERLY BROWN, 36, of Fort Campbell, Kentucky, today pleaded guilty to conspiracy to encourage aliens to reside in the United States unlawfully by providing them with Social Security cards and accepting bribes to provide Social Security cards. According to Nahmias and the documents and information in court:
BROWN was indicted on March 16, 2005, along with KHADY MBENGUE, 34, of College Park, Georgia; RICHARD SIMON, a/k/a Richard St. Cyre, 39, of Snellville, Georgia; JUDY GARCIA, 43, of Plainfield, New Jersey; and ANTHONY WORTHY, 41, of Chester, South Carolina. On May 5, 2005, MBENGUE pleaded guilty to conspiracy and providing false information to the Social Security Administration to obtain a Social Security card. On October 3, 2005, WORTHY pleaded guilty to conspiracy and bribing a public official, SIMON pleaded guilty to conspiracy and providing false information to the Social Security Administration, and GARCIA pleaded guilty to bribing a public official and identification document fraud.
According to the evidence, from June 2002 to March 2003, the defendants conspired to produce, transfer, and possess approximately 83 fraudulently obtained Social Security cards, and the defendants conspired to encourage and induce aliens to reside in the United States unlawfully. The Social Security cards, which have legitimate numbers, were fraudulently obtained through KIMBERLY BROWN, who was then employed by the Social Security Administration as a claims representative in the Morrow, Georgia, Social Security office. The evidence showed that, as part of the conspiracy, KHADY MBENGUE, JUDY GARCIA, and ANTHONY WORTHY obtained money from illegal aliens who wanted legitimate Social Security numbers but were not entitled to them. RICHARD SIMON also referred illegal aliens to BROWN for Social Security numbers. BROWN generated the Social Security cards without the required documentation showing that the illegal alien was entitled to receive a Social Security card. The illegal aliens were able to use the cards to obtain employment in the United States. In return, BROWN received more than $23,000 in payments from her co-conspirators over the course of the conspiracy, and today BROWN admitted to corruptly receiving money as a public official. MBENGUE and GARCIA received Social Security cards for themselves, despite not being entitled to receive one due to their immigration status. SIMON, who legitimately had a Social Security number, received another number issued under an alias through this conspiracy, which he used to open lines of credit. Co-conspirators MBENGUE, SIMON, and GARCIA each possessed an identification document produced without lawful authority by knowingly providing false information to the Social Security Administration to obtain a Social Security card.
United States Attorney David E. Nahmias said of the case, "This defendant abused her position in the Social Security Administration for her own personal gain. Through one public official's corruption, scores of illegal aliens were able to fraudulently obtain Social Security cards that they used to work illegally, obtain credit illegally, and stay in our country illegally. We will continue to work with the Social Security Administration's Office of the Inspector General and with Immigration and Customs Enforcement to prosecute employees who betray the public trust for their own gain."
A sentencing date for KIMBERLY BROWN has not yet been set. Sentencing for the remaining defendants is set for December 16, 2005, at 10:00 a.m. before United States District Judge Jack T. Camp.
The case is being investigated by Special Agents of the Social Security Administration and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Department of Homeland Security.
Assistant United States Attorney Susan Coppedge and Special Assistant United States Attorney Paul Jones are prosecuting the case.
For further information please contact David E. Nahmias, United States Attorney, or F. Gentry Shelnutt, Chief, Criminal Division, through Patrick Crosby, Public Affairs Officer, U.S. Attorney's Office, at (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the HomePage for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia is www.usdoj.gov/usao/gan.