HELENA — Federal prosecutors say nine people in Montana have been convicted in an operation that uncovered more than $550,000 fraudulent payments from Social Security, Medicaid and two programs for the needy.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Montana said in a statement Wednesday that all nine provided false information or misrepresentations on documents for federal Supplemental Security Income.
Prosecutors say the defendants’ misrepresentations included whether they are married, how many people are in their households and how much money they make.
The defendants have been ordered to pay back the money they received.
Prosecutors say they found more than $410,000 in Social Security fraud and more than $107,000 in Medicaid fraud. They also found $34,500 taken fraudulently from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program.