Indiana Woman Gets Prison for Social Security Fraud
HAMMOND, Ind— A 62-year-old East Chicago woman has been sentenced to more than a year behind bars after admitting to a long-running scheme that defrauded the Social Security Administration of hundreds of thousands of dollars, federal authorities announced.
Rose Henderson was sentenced on March 18, 2026, to 12 months and one day in prison by U.S. District Court Judge Gretchen S. Lund after pleading guilty to wire fraud. In addition to her prison term, Henderson was ordered to pay $364,779 in restitution.
According to court documents, Henderson’s scheme dates back to the 1990s. Her mother began receiving Social Security benefits in 1989, and in 1995, Henderson became her representative payee entrusted with managing those funds for her mother’s care. However, after her mother died the following year, Henderson failed to report the death to the Social Security Administration and continued collecting the monthly payments…