Man Sentenced for Swindling Social Security

An Anaheim man was sentenced Monday to five months’ imprisonment for directing nearly $30,000 in Social Security payments to his own bank account when he worked for the federal government.

Stephen A. Ammann, 30, a former claims representative trainee at the Social Security Administration’s Riverside office, was ordered by U.S. District Judge Stephen V. Wilson to surrender on July 18.

Assistant U.S. Atty. Charles L. Kreindler, who prosecuted the case, said the crimes took place from December, 1992, to October, 1993. Ammann used his government-issued personal identification number to enter the computer system and reroute checks destined for recipients who had either left the country or been sent to prison, Kreindler said.

Ordinarily, Kreindler said, the government halts Social Security payments to such people while they are incarcerated or abroad.

“He picked people who wouldn’t complain because they weren’t expecting their checks,” the prosecutor said.

The ruse was discovered, Kreindler said, when a recipient who had been released from prison requested that the payments be resumed, leading officials to discover that they had never been halted.

A total of $29,482 was redirected from 11 people to Ammann’s personal account at California Federal Bank.

Ammann, who pleaded guilty, was sentenced to five months’ home confinement following his imprisonment. He will also be required to repay the money.

Neither Ammann nor his lawyer could be reached for comment Monday.