A federal jury has found Cynthia Delores Holland, 61, of Aiken, South Carolina, guilty of fraudulently obtaining Social Security benefits following a trial that lasted one and a half days. Holland is the former county director of voter registration and elections.
Investigators determined that Holland continued to collect her deceased mother’s retirement benefits from the Social Security Administration (SSA) after her mother died in 2013. The payments were mistakenly deposited into a joint account shared by Holland and her mother. Instead of reporting the mistake to the SSA, Holland transferred the funds into her personal account and used them for nearly ten years. The fraudulent activity continued until December 2022, when the SSA discovered the error and stopped the payments. Over this period, Holland received more than $168,000.
The issue came to light in 2021 during an SSA review known as the Death Match Project. As part of this effort, the agency requested death records from the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control dating back to 2005 and compared them with its list of retirement beneficiaries. The discovery that Holland’s mother was still listed as receiving benefits prompted an investigation.
“Holland’s actions showed a decade of deception as she continued receiving and spending benefits intended for her deceased mother,” said U.S. Attorney Bryan Stirling for the District of South Carolina. “We are committed to protecting our taxpayer-funded systems from fraud and abuse.”
“Cynthia Holland exploited her own mother’s death to steal from a program meant to support the most vulnerable,” said Michelle L. Anderson, Acting Inspector General for SSA. “As a former public official, her deception is especially troubling. We will continue to pursue those who abuse Social Security for personal gain.”
Holland could face up to 10 years in federal prison, a fine reaching $250,000, restitution payments, and three years of supervised release after imprisonment. Senior United States District Judge Joseph F. Anderson, Jr., who presided over the trial, will determine sentencing after reviewing a report from the U.S. Probation Office.
The case was investigated by the Social Security Administration’s Office of the Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Winston Holliday and Scott Matthews are prosecuting.
