WORCESTER — A Spencer woman was charged in federal court in Worcester today with bank fraud for allegedly stealing Social Security benefits over a 15-year period.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts, Gina Llerena-Donohue, 62, fraudulently obtained approximately $41,954.20 in Social Security payments between February 2006 and May 2021. Prosecutors allege that Llerena-Donohue held power of attorney for a Social Security beneficiary who died in January 2006 and failed to report the death. Instead, she continued to access the funds through bank withdrawals and submitted four false affidavits to the bank in 2018 and 2019 claiming the power of attorney was still in effect.
Llerena-Donohue has been charged with one count of bank fraud and is expected to appear in federal court in Worcester at a later date, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts said. If convicted, she faces up to 30 years in prison, five years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss from the fraud, whichever is greater.
The case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney James Nagelberg of the Major Crimes Unit.
