BOSTON — On Tuesday, April 21, 2026, a Gardner woman was charged in federal court in Worcester with fraudulently receiving Social Security disability benefits.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts, Leidy E. Otero, 43, was charged with one count of receipt of stolen government money or property and one count of Social Security fraud – concealment. Otero is scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court in Worcester at a later date.
According to the charging documents, from January 2015 through March 2025, Otero allegedly received about $185,266 in Social Security disability benefits that she knew she was not entitled to receive.
Federal prosecutors also allege that she concealed material information from the Social Security Administration in order to fraudulently obtain the benefits.
The charge of receipt of stolen government money or property carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater. The Social Security fraud – concealment charge carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater.
U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley and Amy Connelly, special agent-in-charge of the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General’s Boston Field Division, announced the charges. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Nagelberg of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts said the case comes as authorities continue a broader push to investigate alleged fraud involving taxpayer-funded benefits in Massachusetts.
