Passaic Woman Pleads Guilty to Stealing Over $144,000 in Social Security Benefits

Joan Charnecky admitted to withdrawing her deceased mother’s survivor benefits for a decade, federal authorities say.

A Passaic County woman has pleaded guilty to defrauding the Social Security Administration out of more than $144,000 in survivor benefits intended for her deceased mother, Acting U.S. Attorney and Special Attorney Alina Habba announced.

Joan Charnecky, 60, of West Milford, 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, as charged in a federal Information.

According to court documents and statements made in court, the Social Security Administration (SSA) had been issuing widow’s insurance benefits to Charnecky’s mother through monthly electronic deposits into her bank account. After her mother’s death in 2012, Charnecky failed to inform the SSA and continued to access the account, withdrawing funds for personal use over the course of ten years.

Federal investigators determined that between 2012 and 2022, Charnecky unlawfully obtained approximately $144,768.30 in benefits. The fraud was uncovered through an investigation conducted by the SSA’s Office of the Inspector General.

Charnecky now faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentencing is scheduled for January 21, 2026.

The investigation was led by special agents of the SSA – Office of the Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Amy Connelly. 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.