Woman charged with welfare fraud, theft and perjury

Maxwell

A Terre Haute woman was arrested on a warrant yesterday after officials allege she failed to report he son's incarceration to the Social Security Administration, while continuing to spend his  benfefit payments thoughout a six-year period.

LaTonya L. Maxwell, 42, was booked into the Vigo County Jail at about 10:30 p.m. She is charged with welfare fraud, theft and perjury, all felonies.

Brett Yonkus, Social Security Administration (SSA) special agent of the Inspector General's Office in Indianapolis,  conducted the investigation and alleges Maxwell defrauded the Supplemental Security Income Benefit Program (SSI.)

"Maxwell continued to receive and spend her son's SSI benefits while he was incarcerated, which resulted in her son being overpaid in SSI, "Yonkus stated in the Probable Cause Affidavit. 

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​From April 2011 to April 2015, Yonkus alleges Maxwell is liable to the SSA a total of $32,563.68. Maxwell, the representative payee for her son's benefits, was mailed forms several times and when given the opportunity to explain her son's whereabouts, she allegedly continued to report that he lived with her in Vigo County. She signed the forms with clear warnings of penalties for perjury.

According to SSA records, Maxwell failed to report to the SSA that her son, Vontrell Maxwell, was incarcerated at an Illinois youth center three separate time periods for armed robbery in 2009, 2011 and 2012. He was admitted to the Illinois Department of Correction in 2012. A couple months later, he was paroled. However, in November 2014, he was arrested for drug possession, a violation of parole. He was then incarcerated at the Cook County Jail in Illinois before being transferred to Illinois Correctional Center.  He is currently serving time at Jacksonville Correctional Center and will scheduled to be released in September this year.

​Maxwell remains in custody on $10,000 bond, 10 percent allowed. She made an initial appearance in Vigo Superior Court Div.1 this morning.

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