East Alton Woman Charged With Stealing Disabled Daughter's Social Security Funds

A federal grand jury in East St. Louis, Illinois, has returned a 21-count indictment charging

Melissa D. Wasylak, 48, of East Alton, with stealing Supplemental Security Income (“SSI”) funds

that were intended for her disabled daughter. The indictment also charges Wasylak with wire fraud

and making false statements on forms submitted to the Social Security Administration (“SSA”).

The SSA administers the SSI program, which provides a minimum level of income to aged, blind, and

disabled individuals with limited resources. For disabled children, SSI benefits are paid to a

representative payee, who is responsible for handling the funds and reporting to the SSA. Federal

law requires that all SSI funds must be used for the benefit of the disabled child.

Wasylak applied for her disabled daughter to receive SSI benefits and was appointed as her

daughter’s representative payee. According to the indictment, in 2008, Wasylak’s daughter stopped

living with her and went to live with Wasylak’s ex-husband. Despite this fact, Wasylak continued to

receive her daughter’s SSI funds. The indictment charges that Wasylak did not use those funds for

her daughter’s expenses, but instead used the SSI money to pay her own personal expenses. This

allegedly continued until the situation was reported to the SSA in May of 2019.

Wire fraud is punishable by up to 20 years in prison. The maximum punishment for theft of

government funds is 10 years’ imprisonment. Making a false statement on a Social Security form

carries a five-year statutory maximum term of imprisonment. Each of the charges comes with a

possible fine of up to $250,000, and Wasylak could also be ordered to pay restitution.

An  indictment  is  merely  a  formal  charge  against  a  defendant.  Under  the  law,  the

defendant is presumed to be innocent of the charges until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt

to the satisfaction of a jury.

Wasylak is scheduled to be arraigned by United States Magistrate Judge Gilbert C. Sison on Monday,

April 5, 2021, at 10:00 a.m., at the federal courthouse in East St. Louis.

The investigation was conducted by the SSA – Office of the Inspector General. The case

is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Scott A. Verseman.