The indictment says Darling gained control of his brother’s ATM card immediately after the death and began making withdrawals that day, siphoning funds that were still being deposited by the Social Security Administration.
Because the agency was unaware of the beneficiary’s death, payments kept flowing into the account, allowing Darling to continue draining the account for months until the total reached $109,746.
Darling now faces access‑device‑fraud, theft of government property and aggravated identity theft. Each charge carries a maximum penalty of 15, 10 and a mandatory minimum of two years, respectively.
The case is one of 17 announced by the DOJ on September 29 as part of a month‑long enforcement push that targeted Social Security fraud and netted more than $1.3 million in intended losses across 11 federal districts.
Other high‑profile cases include an Illinois woman who hid her mother’s body to claim $21,402, and a Pennsylvania woman who siphoned $59,070 from her father’s Social Security after his 2020 death.
The case will be heard in federal court in the Northern District of New York, where Assistant U.S. Attorney Arne Soldwedel has taken the lead.