PASSAIC COUNTY, NJ — A West Milford woman has pleaded guilty to defrauding the Social Security Administration (SSA) of more than $144,000 in survivor benefits meant for her deceased mother, Acting U.S. Attorney and Special Attorney Alina Habba announced.
Joan Charnecky, 60, entered a guilty plea on September 10, 2025, before Senior U.S. District Judge Katharine S. Hayden in Newark federal court. She pleaded guilty to one count of theft of public money.
According to court filings and statements made during the plea hearing, the SSA continued issuing widow’s insurance benefits to Charnecky’s late mother via direct deposit into her bank account. After her mother’s death in 2012, Charnecky failed to report the death and instead withdrew the funds for personal use over a ten-year period.
Federal investigators determined that from 2012 to 2022, Charnecky unlawfully collected $144,768.30 in survivor benefits. The fraud was discovered during an investigation by the SSA Office of the Inspector General (OIG).
Charnecky faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine when sentenced on January 21, 2026.
The investigation was led by Special Agent in Charge Amy Connelly of the SSA-OIG. The case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Keith Abrams of the U.S. Attorney’s Narcotics and Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) Unit in Newark.
