In a recent development, 38-year-old Lee Marvin Nichols, a resident of Harlingen and former claims specialist with the Social Security Administration (SSA), pleaded guilty to theft of government property, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.

Nichols admitted to the charges, revealing that he had created fictitious profiles for two non-existent children. These fabricated identities were linked to a deceased man and a disabled woman residing in Mexico, with the intention of filing a survivor benefits application.

To execute his scheme, Nichols arranged for the debit cards associated with the fictional children's benefits to be sent to an address connected to him. Subsequently, he made regular ATM withdrawals using these cards. In an attempt to conceal his identity, Nichols resorted to wearing hats pulled low over his face, sunglasses, balaclavas, and other disguises during these transactions.

Furthermore, Nichols received economic stimulus payments of $1,400 for each of the fictitious children from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

As part of his guilty plea, Nichols acknowledged responsibility for a total loss of over $75,000 to the federal government. He has agreed to pay $82,516 in restitution to the SSA and an additional $2,800 in restitution to the IRS.

U.S. District Judge Rolando Olvera is set to announce Nichols' sentence on December 27. If convicted, Nichols could face a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000.