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Freeport resident Alexandria Sobrane, age 46, was arraigned on Tuesday, March 18 for her alleged Social Security fraud, the Nassau County District Attorney announced.
According to the DA’s Office, Sobrane’s grandmother, Hannah Sobrane, was born in 1920 and wrote children’s books under the pen name Babe Power.
Starting in 1985, she retired and began receiving her Social Security benefits under the nom de plume she used for writing.
However, in 2008, when the woman died, Sobrane reportedly continued to cash her grandmother’s Social Security checks at her local grocery store. Eventually, Sobrane contacted the Social Security Administration to request that the benefits be deposited onto a debit card.
In total, she fraudulently collected $48,335 of her late grandmother’s benefits over a period of more than a decade.
“Social Security retirement benefits are meant to help Americans in their golden years, not enrich criminals,” DA Anne T. Donnelly said in a statement.
Sobrane was charged with third-degree grand larceny.
She is due back in court on Wednesday, March 27. If convicted, she faces a potential maximum sentence of two-and-one-third to seven years in prison.
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