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Stavros Tsakonis, age 61, of Shirley, was arraigned on a 30-count indictment that includes grand larceny and identity theft in Suffolk County Court on Monday, March 13
Prosecutors said Tsakonis received more than $160,000 in disability benefits between February 2015 and January 2023 while claiming to the US Social Security Administration that he was too disabled to work. However, investigators discovered that he had allegedly been working as a plumber since February 2015 under the name of his deceased half-brother, Chris Tsakonis, a US Army and Vietnam War veteran who died in 2012.
According to investigators, Tsakonis used his brother’s social security number and date of birth to hide income he earned while continuing to collect his disability benefits. He is also accused of using his brother’s identity to obtain a New York State driver’s license and open bank accounts that were used to deposit his earnings.
In January 2023, Tsakonis was seen entering the Social Security Administration office in Patchogue using a walker. After filling out paperwork saying he had not worked since February 1989 due to a disability, he was seen walking out of the building unaided, prosecutors said.
Investigators determined that Tsakonis also bought several vehicles that were then registered in his brother’s name, and used the man’s driver’s license to apply for and renew a plumbing license, according to prosecutors.
“This defendant allegedly exploited the death of his half-brother so he could work under his brother’s name and simultaneously claim a full disability under his own given name, Stavros Tsakonis,” Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney said in a statement.
“Instead of respecting the memory of his half-brother, this defendant exploited his death to start a plumbing business and purchase vehicles, while lining his own pockets with fraudulently obtained taxpayer funds for a supposed disability.”
Tsakonis is charged with the following crimes:
- One count of grand larceny - second degree (felony)
- Twelve counts of identity theft - first degree (felony)
- Eight counts of criminal possession of a forged instrument - second degree (felony)
- Three counts of identity theft - second degree (felony)
- Three counts of falsifying a business record - first degree (felony)
- Two counts of offering a false instrument for filing - first degree (felony)
- Criminal impersonation - second degree (misdemeanor)
He surrendered his passport and was released on his own recognizance. He is scheduled to appear back in court on Wednesday, April 12.
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