Osage Beach woman gets probation in fraud case

Must repay more than $9,000 in Social Security scam

An Osage Beach woman was placed on four years probation for pleading guilty to acting with her husband to defraud the Social Security Administration.

Tina Parker, 40, must also pay $9,127 in restitution.

Her husband, Garry Parker, 50, has pleaded guilty to charges against him in this case and is awaiting sentencing.

Federal court records show, in late 2012, the Jefferson City Social Security Administration Office (SSA) contacted authorities regarding a scheme that had been uncovered to defraud the SSA of disability benefits.

A claims representative told agents that she had met with the Parkers on Oct. 10, 2012, regarding the purported theft of their disability checks which had been issued on Aug. 31, 2012. The claims representative explained that based upon the Parkers' dire need, her office had initially re-issued the "stolen" checks to them without a thorough investigation of their allegations of theft.

When a noticeable pattern emerged, however, an audit was initiated. The audit led agents to believe that beginning in May 2006, Tina was having Garry endorse and cash her checks, then reporting them missing so they could be re-issued and cashed again, and that Garry was similarly having Tina endorse and cash his checks, before reporting them missing and properly endorsing and cashing the checks that were re-issued.

During a meeting on Oct. 10, 2012, the Parkers denied they were having someone else sign their checks with their knowledge.

On Dec. 12, 2012, however, agents interviewed the Parkers at their residence in Osage Beach.

In that meeting, the Parkers said they had been experiencing extremely hard times and needed extra money. They came up with the idea to tell the SSA that their disability benefits checks had been stolen in order to have each check re-issued. They confirmed that, as part of this scheme, Tina had Garry endorse her checks and their children's checks, then told the SSA that the checks had been stolen so the checks could be reissued and properly endorsed and cashed. Similarly, Garry had Tina endorse his checks and then cashed them, reported them missing, then endorsed and cashed them again. Garry and Tina each admitted they knew what they were doing was wrong, but felt that they had no other alternative.