Sayler A. Fleming, U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney' Office for the Eastern District of Missouri
Sayler A. Fleming, U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney' Office for the Eastern District of Missouri
A Missouri woman has admitted to stealing her brother's Social Security disability payments while he was imprisoned for a decade. Lora Houck, 57, from Kahoka in Clark County, pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of theft of government money.
Houck acknowledged that she had control over her brother's bank accounts as his power of attorney and was aware that he was not entitled to receive disability benefits during his imprisonment. Despite this knowledge, she accessed his bank accounts and took the benefits between May 2013 and September 2021, amounting to $157,323.
Her brother remained incarcerated from May 2013 until June 2023, but the benefits ceased in September 2021. Houck is scheduled for sentencing on September 23 and faces up to ten years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, or both.
The investigation was conducted by the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gwendolyn Carroll is leading the prosecution.
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