TEXARKANA -- A woman whose husband was doing time for robbery while she claimed Social Security disability benefits on his behalf agreed at a hearing Thursday she owes more than $30,000 to the federal government.
Meekesha Tarsha Mitchell, 39, appeared Thursday morning with attorney Craig Henry and entered a guilty plea to theft of government property before U.S. Magistrate Judge Caroline Craven in Texarkana's downtown federal building.
Mitchell was indicted by a federal grand jury earlier this year in the Texarkana Division of the Eastern District of Texas.
She began receiving Social Security disability payments meant to cover some expenses for her disabled husband beginning in April 2002, according to a court document used to create the following account.
In 2005, Mitchell's husband was convicted of robbery in Little River County and was locked up on the robbery conviction from March 14, 2008, to Feb. 4, 2013.
But Mitchell had continued to certify annually that her husband lived with her, and the disability payments were directly deposited into her bank account.
In October 2014, Mitchell admitted to a special agent with the Social Security Administration that she had annually falsified the benefits documents and accepted money from the U.S. government to which she had no right.
In March, Mitchell was released on a $5,000 unsecured bond after an initial appearance before Craven.
In June, Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Locker took steps to end Mitchell's pretrial freedom because she failed to comply with the conditions of her release. On June 29, Craven ordered Mitchell to remain in custody while her case proceeds.
Henry filed notice of a plea agreement in the case the same day. Mitchell pleaded guilty to a single count of theft of government property and owes $31,920.62 in restitution to the government as part of her agreement.
Mitchell will return to court for formal sentencing once the court has received a presentence investigation report, including a recommendation for punishment under federal guidelines. Theft of government property is punishable by up to 10 years in prison, a fine up to $250,000 or both.
Mitchell remains in custody.
State Desk on 07/21/2015