A federal grand jury indicted Najee Alexander Corbett, a former Social Security Administration (SSA) employee from Baltimore, on April 17 in connection with an alleged scheme to steal disability funds. Corbett, age 37, faces charges including wire fraud, mail fraud, aggravated identity theft, theft of government property, and making false statements.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland, which serves nearly six million residents across Maryland according to the official website, Corbett used his position as a customer service representative to access sensitive SSA databases containing claimants’ personal information. Prosecutors say that between February and April 2023 he devised a plan to divert Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits intended for others into accounts he controlled.
The indictment alleges that Corbett targeted SSI claimants diagnosed with mental health disorders by altering their records in the SSA database. He is accused of changing bank account details and mailing addresses so that benefit payments were sent either electronically or by mail directly to him. Additionally, prosecutors say he manipulated payment eligibility dates to generate retroactive back payments in claimants’ names and rerouted those funds for his own use.
Authorities report that through this scheme Corbett received $116,537.62 in SSI disability payments and retained $71,304.62 for himself. The U.S. Attorney’s Office said individuals charged by indictment are presumed innocent until proven guilty at trial.
If convicted on all counts, Corbett could face up to 20 years each for wire fraud and mail fraud; up to ten years for theft of government property; up to five years for false statements; plus a mandatory two-year sentence consecutive to any other penalty for aggravated identity theft. Sentencing will be determined by a federal judge considering statutory factors and sentencing guidelines.
U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes commended the Social Security Administration’s Office of Inspector General (SSA-OIG) Philadelphia Field Division for its investigative work and thanked Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Kertisha Dixon who is prosecuting the case.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecutes federal crimes such as this one and handles civil cases on behalf of the United States while partnering with law enforcement agencies according to its official website (source). The office employs over 200 personnel across civil, criminal and administrative divisions (source) and has counted alumni in prominent government leadership roles (source).
More information about reporting suspected fraud can be found at justice.gov/usao-md/report-fraud.
