Crime & Safety

Fairfield Man Stole $300K in Social Security Benefits

James Briggs, Jr., 68, pleaded guilty in court on Friday after stealing his deceased father's Social Security benefits.

A Fairfield man pleaded guilty in a Hartford court on Friday to one count of theft of government property after he stole more than $300,000 in Social Security benefit payments made to his deceased father, according to a statement released by David B. Fein, U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut.

James Briggs, Sr., who died in August 1982, began receiving benefits in 1974, according to court documents and statements made in court. His son, 68-year-old James Briggs, Jr., continued receiving the monthly payments after his father's death, and in 1997, Briggs, Jr. contacted the Social Security Administration to request a change of address for any future correspondence regarding his father's benefits.

In total, Briggs, Jr. received $307,925 in Social Security benefit payments between 1982 and 2011.

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Briggs, Jr. is facing a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $600,000. He will also be ordered to pay restitution to the government in full. He has paid approximately $38,000 to date. He is scheduled to be sentenced on March 26.


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