A New Jersey woman admitted to defrauding the Social Security Administration (SSA) by taking over $144,000 in survivor benefits meant for her mother, federal prosecutors announced on Monday, Sept. 22.

Joan Charnecky, 60, pleaded guilty to theft of public money on Sept. 10, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey said in a news release.

According to prosecutors, the SSA investigated the deposits and found that Charnecky withdrew the funds, which were meant for her mother, who passed away in December 2012.

USA TODAY contacted the SSA on Tuesday, Sept. 23, but has not received a response.

Charnecky’s defense attorney, Joel Bacher, told USA TODAY on Sept. 23 that he was checking with his client to see if she had a comment regarding her case.

Although Charnecky was never taken into custody, a $100,000 bond was set in case she fails to appear in court, per her lawyer and court documents reviewed by USA TODAY.

Charnecky will be sentenced on Jan. 14, 2026, according to court documents reviewed by USA TODAY.

Here is what we know about the case.

Prosecutors: Woman collected mother's benefits for nearly 10 years

Charnecky lives in West Milford, New Jersey, about 43 miles northwest of Newark, prosecutors said in the news release.

According to court documents reviewed by USA TODAY, her mother was a widow and collected widow’s benefits from the SSA for nearly 17 years between March 1996 and her death in December 2012.

“After her mother's death, neither Charnecky, nor any other individual, was entitled to receive (the) widow's benefits on her mother's behalf,” the court documents read.

Prosecutors allege that Charnecky did not tell the SSA that her mother died. When the agency continued to make monthly direct deposits into her deceased mother’s account, Charnecky allegedly used the funds, according to the U.S. attorney's office.

She collected the funds for nearly 10 years, between December 2012 and September 2022, and is accused of embezzling $144,768.30, prosecutors said.

If convicted, Charnecky is facing a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and up to a $250,000 fine, according to the U.S. attorney's office.

Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY's NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Email her at sdmartin@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Her mother died in 2012. She allegedly collected her SSA benefits for over 9 years.

Reporting by Saleen Martin, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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