Berwick woman sentenced in Social Security fraud case

PORTLAND, Maine - A Berwick woman was sentenced in U.S. District Court on Thursday for Social Security fraud and theft of public money.

Andreanna Politano, 60, was sentenced to three years of probation and ordered to pay $49,976.38 in restitution to the Social Security Administration and $9,164.00 in restitution to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Politano pleaded guilty on Sept. 12.

According to court records, from about March 2009 to February 2020, Politano concealed the presence of her husband in her household to maintain her eligibility to receive Supplemental Security Income payments. SSI benefits are paid to people with limited income who are blind, disabled or elderly. Politano also concealed her husband's presence from HUD from about January 2018 to June 2021, during which time she received housing voucher subsidy benefits. Politano's husband had sufficient income to render her ineligible for the benefits she received.

In multiple reviews of her eligibility for benefits, Politano falsely represented to SSA that she and her husband had separated in October 2008 and had lived separately since that time. In an interview with law enforcement agents, she admitted concealing her living situation from SSA and HUD because she knew it would make her ineligible to receive benefits.