A San Antonio couple was sentenced in federal court Tuesday to five years probation and ordered to pay $218,730 in restitution for theft of government funds.
According to court documents, Tracy Stephanie Grubbs, 59, failed to report her mother’s death to the Social Security Administration and the Department of Veterans Affairs.
From January 2011 to December 2018, Grubbs received and negotiated SSA and VA benefit payments intended for her deceased mother. Grubbs would write checks to her husband, Gary Lewis Grubbs, 70, who would negotiate the check and use the funds for his own benefit.
Federal officials had no idea what was going on until SSA officials found a death certificate for the woman.
“Long term fraud deprives government agencies like the Social Security Administration and the VA of valuable resources,” said U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza for the Western District of Texas. “My office, along with our law enforcement partners, will continuously pursue these cases to guard vital resources for Americans in need.”
