Watchdog opens probe into huge Social Security fines to poor, disabled
By Lisa Rein
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At the heart of the investigation is the Civil Monetary Penalty Program, a little-known anti-fraud program run by the inspector general’s office.
During the Trump administration, under Ennis’s watch, the program began levying unprecedented fines, which reached hundreds of thousands of dollars,
on more than 100 people accused of improperly receiving disability benefits. The fines were imposed without considering the age, financial condition or other mitigating factors of the recipients — a departure from how the program had previously operated.
Many of those fined had no hope of ever being able to pay. Over a seven-month period that ended in mid-2019, 83 people were charged a total of $11.5 million, documents obtained by The Post showed — a jump from less than $700,000 for all of 2017.
Civil fines are supposed to provide an alternative when fraud is considered too insignificant to warrant criminal prosecution by the Justice Department. In years past, cases had often settled, with agreements for drastically lower fines as claimants gradually paid back what they owed taxpayers.
more:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/06/01/social-security-ennis-investigation-white-house/
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