NORCROSS, Ga. — A 47-year-old metro Atlanta woman could spend years behind bars after she pleaded guilty to theft.
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On Thursday, Christina Daniels, 47, of Winder, pled guilty to one count of theft of government money, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, and one count of aggravated identity theft, which carries a mandatory consecutive sentence of two years of imprisonment.
According to court documents, between January 2023 to May 2024, Daniels, who was employed at the Social Security Administration office in Norcross, changed direct deposit information for 28 beneficiaries.
The US Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia said Daniels was a customer service representative, and that’s how she was able to make changes to the beneficiaries’ direct deposit information.
Officials said Daniels stole more than $110,000.
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Daniels accomplished her theft by first opening Green Dot and Cash App accounts using personal identifiable information belonging to Social Security beneficiaries. After she created the new accounts, she changed the direct deposit information of the beneficiaries to one of the newly opened Green Dot or Cash App accounts that she controlled, authorities said.
Officials launched an internal investigation after multiple retirement beneficiaries reported that they had not received their monthly benefit payments. Investigators Daniels had changed the direct deposit information for 28 beneficiaries, and she redirected the benefits to accounts that she opened using the stolen PII of other beneficiaries, some of whom were her family members.
“Social Security Administration (SSA) employees are entrusted in serving the people - not abusing their important position by stealing money from the people that they are meant to serve to line their own pockets,” said Michelle L. Anderson, Assistant Inspector General for Audit performing the duties of the Inspector General. “This fraudulent direct deposit diversion is intolerable behavior; we will hold each SSA employee accountable who chooses to violate our nation’s trust for their personal gain.”
Daniels is scheduled to be sentenced at a later date.
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