URBANA, Ill. – A woman in northern Illinois was sentenced Monday to more than a year in federal prison for obtaining more than $120,000 in Social Security benefits via fraud.
Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Central Illinois said Sharrie McInnis was claiming Title II Child-in-Care benefits for a grandchild that was not actually in her care. Those benefits totaled $22,849.
McInnis, 49, pleaded guilty to a one-county indictment in October 2021. She had faced up to 10 years in federal prison for her crime.
At the sentencing hearing, a U.S. District Court judge learned McInnis also received additional improper Social Security benefits under other titles, totaling $98,701.74.
The judge sentenced McInnis to 14 months in prison and three years of probation. She must also repay full restitution to the Social Security Administration.
