DADE CITY, Fla. – A 62-year-old Dade City woman will spend the next two years in federal prison after a judge found she spent nearly a decade pocketing Social Security benefits meant for her missing son.
U.S. District Judge James S. Moody, Jr. handed down the sentence to Vivina Barnwell on Wednesday, following her earlier guilty plea to charges of aggravated identity theft and access device fraud. Along with her prison term, Barnwell has been ordered to pay $96,000 in restitution to the Social Security Administration.
The case centers on a disappearance that dates back to 2016. Barnwell’s adult son, identified in court records as P.C., was a recipient of Social Security disability benefits when he went missing ten years ago.
While Barnwell reported her son’s disappearance to local police at the time, investigators say she never breathed a word of it to the Social Security Administration.
For years, the government continued to deposit monthly disability payments onto a debit card assigned to P.C. Because Barnwell had physical control of that card, she was able to withdraw the funds and spend the money on herself while her son remained missing.
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“The intentional deception perpetrated against the Social Security Administration in this case constitutes theft of taxpayers’ dollars,” said U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe. “Such fraud will not be tolerated against our federal programs.”
The investigation was a joint effort between the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General and the New Port Richey Police Department. Officials noted that the case is part of a broader federal push to crack down on the misuse of taxpayer funds within benefit programs.
Norman Jenkins, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge for the SSA’s Office of Inspector General, described the scheme as a serious breach of the system’s intent.
“Stealing Social Security benefits intended for another is an egregious betrayal of trust,” Jenkins said. “Ms. Barnwell’s guilty plea underscores our commitment to holding accountable those who exploit SSA programs for personal gain.”
Barnwell had been facing these charges since her guilty plea in May 2025. The prosecution was handled by Special Assistant United States Attorney Matthew Del Mastro as part of the National Fraud Enforcement Division’s ongoing mission to recover stolen public funds.
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