Former SS Employee Arrested for Identity Theft, Allegedly Stealing $75,000 in Benefits

A 38-year-old Harlingen man is in federal custody after creating fake profiles to steal “at least” $75,000 in social security payments, according to an indictment. Lee Marvin Nichols, 38, was arrested Wednesday on charges of theft of government property and aggravated identity theft. According to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Nichols was a claims specialist at the Social Security Administration in Harlingen who allegedly created profiles for two children that did not exist. “The indictment alleges Nichols linked the profiles of the fictitious children to a recently deceased man and a disabled woman living in Mexico in an attempt to create survivor benefits application,” the news release stated.