On July 8, 2022, a federal judge sentenced Cindy Hardway, who was born and raised in Canada, to six months in prison. Following her father’s passing in 2005, Hardway received a total of $254,116 from his pension and Social Security.
Hardway, a resident of Newark, Ohio, pleaded guilty to one count of theft of public funds and one count of theft or embezzlement from an employee benefit plan.
The Employee Benefits Security Administration of the U.S. Department of Labor and the inspector general of the Social Security Administration discovered the theft, which persisted through May 2020, and conducted an investigation as a result. The court then took action.
In her plea agreement, Hardway admitted she did not report the Jan. 12, 2005 death of her father, Joseph Fries, to the Central States, Southeast & Southwest Areas Pension Plan or the Social Security Administration.
In total, she collected $20,165 in pension benefits and $233,951 in Social Security benefits illegally. Using her father’s debit card, Hardway accessed the funds and used them for her benefit.
