Idioms and Perjury | Pennsylvania | Medicaid and SNAP Fraud

“On my mother’s grave.” Certainly, one of the many idioms often declared to emphasize the truth of a statement. And probably not something said by James Sessoms when he signed any of the many government benefit applications that he filed from November 2019 through November 2023. When signing a government benefit application under penalty of perjury, the applicant must attest that the information provided is true and correct, and that the application is being made in good faith. Which Sessoms did not have. As a result, the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services paid over a million dollars in fraudulent Medicaid and SNAP benefits to Sessoms.

As part of his scheme, Sessoms reported family members on the applications, in order to qualify for benefits. Sessoms submitted fraudulent and personally identifiable information for a spouse and children and included fraudulent birth certificates for the children. The Social Security numbers utilized in connection with these identities were valid SSNs, assigned by the Commissioner of Social Security, but assigned to other individuals versus the names alleged by the defendant. Sessoms not only used the names and personal identifiable information of his loved ones, but he also created several fictious people to use as well in these applications.

To obtain these benefits, Sessoms submitted false and fraudulent driver’s licenses bearing his photograph under both fictitious and other persons’ names. But Sessoms didn’t do this for the food. It was for the money. He sold the SNAP benefit cards for profit to local supermarkets. In total, Sessoms stole more than a million dollars from the U.S. taxpayer.

On April 29, 2025, Sessoms pled guilty to welfare fraud.  

The case was investigated by the USDA Office of Inspector General.

Today’s Fraud of The Day is based on article “Pennsylvania man pleads guilty to over $1 million in welfare fraud” published by WHTM27 News on April 29, 2025.

A Pennsylvania man pleaded guilty to defrauding the United States Government of over $1 million in SNAP and Medicare benefits.According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, James Sessoms, 60, of Philadelphia, pled guilty today to one count of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance  Program (SNAP) fraud, seven counts of false statements in connection with health care benefits, and seven counts of Social Security fraud.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office says that in October of 2024, Sessoms was charged by indictment with those offenses after he used stolen identities and Social Security numbers (SSNs) to file for SNAP and Medicaid benefits. The Office says Sessoms sold the fraudulently acquired SNAP cards for profit at a local supermarket, stealing $1,063,633 in total benefits.