Pennsylvania man accused of using stolen identities to scam over $1M from SNAP, Medicaid
James Sessoms, 60, of Philadelphia, pleaded guilty to multiple counts of fraud, according to United States Attorney David Metcalf. Sessoms was charged in October 2024 with allegedly using stolen identities along with Social Security numbers to file for government benefits like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Medicaid.
According to the release, the government lost a total of $1,063,633 because of Sessoms' scheme. He was also accused of selling the SNAP cards he was able to get for profit at local supermarkets.
Pennsylvania funeral homeowner charged, accused of giving pet owners wrong ashes
He's pleaded guilty 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.
Here's what his schemes allegedly involved:
Obtained or created the names, SSNs, and personally identifiable information for several fake persons.
Obtained the names and personally identifiable information of other persons, including valid SSNs, which he placed on the applications for SNAP and Medical benefits.
Sessoms also submitted false and fraudulent driver's licenses bearing his photograph under fictitious and other persons' names.
On some of the applications, he added names of spouses and children, sometimes fake, in order to get more benefits.
From Nov. 2019 to Nov. 2023, the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services provided Medicaid and SNAP coverage to Sessoms and his multiple aliases.
Sessoms is set to be sentenced on August 21 and faces up to 90 years in prison.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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