Belle Vernon Woman Must Pay Restitution For SSI Fraud

A Belle Vernon woman has been sentenced to one year of probation and ordered to pay $116,758 in restitution for social security fraud and theft of government property, according to Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti. Teresa Sabolek, 68, was sentenced by United States District Judge J. Nicholas Ranjan in federal court. Sabolek was convicted of falsely claiming that her husband did not live with her to receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits, which she was not eligible for. In May 2009, Sabolek applied for SSI benefits, claiming her husband did not reside with her in their Belle Vernon home. The investigation revealed though, that Sabolek’s husband had a driver’s license, mailing address, and registered vehicles all linked to the same address where Sabolek claimed to live alone. Agents visiting the home in December 2024 found that the husband indeed lived there and contributed to the mortgage and utilities.