Rochester woman pleads guilty to falsely claiming $46G in social security payments

CONCORD - A Rochester woman has pleaded guilty to making false statements to obtain Social Security benefits, the U.S. Attorneys Office announced today.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Jeannette Doyon, 49, was receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits.

Because SSI benefits are tied to household income, Social Security requires that recipients notify the agency of changes to their household. Doyon married her spouse in April 2014. Because her spouse's income now counted toward her household income, Doyon's monthly benefits were reduced.

In response, Doyon submitted a false statement to Social Security claiming that her spouse had moved out of her home and was no longer part of her household. This resulted in her benefits increasing.

Doyon repeated this false statement to Social Security for several years to keep getting more benefits. Throughout this time, Doyon and her spouse continuously lived together. Because of her false statements, Doyon received $46,625.60 in SSI benefits she was not entitled to receive.

Doyon is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 2.