Winthrop man charged with Social Security fraud, concealment

A Winthrop man was charged Friday for allegedly committing Social Security fraud for over four years, according to prosecutors.

Kenneth Riel, 51, was indicted on one count of receiving stolen government money or property and one count of Social Security fraud-concealment, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts said in a statement. He was arrested Friday and released after appearing in federal court that afternoon.

Riel allegedly received about $88,383 in stolen Social Security retirement benefits from February 2019 through November 2023, prosecutors said. He also allegedly concealed from the Social Security Administration that someone he knew who was receiving retirement benefits had died so he could fraudulently receive their payments, according to officials.

For the charge of receiving stolen government money, Riel faces up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and up to $250,000 in fines, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office. He also faces up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000 for the fraud-concealment charge.

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