ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — A Candler man awaiting trial in the death of an elderly woman has been sentenced for Social Security fraud charges.
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) said Mark Alan Barnes, 53, was sentenced on Thursday, Aug. 28, to 16 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to theft of government funds in February.
According to the DOJ, Barnes collected about $77,770 in Social Security benefits between 2015 and 2020 that were meant for a beneficiary who had died. Instead of reporting the beneficiary’s death as required, he continued to collect the retirement benefits and used a debit card associated with the beneficiary’s bank account to withdraw money from ATMs…