Former Aurora Social Security worker sentenced to 4 years

A 42-year-old woman who used to work in the Social Security Administration's Aurora office was sentenced to four years in prison for stealing more than $700,000 in fake benefits.

Federal prosecutors said Anne Aroste, 42, of Montgomery, worked in the federal agency's Aurora field office between 2013 and 2018 and pleaded guilty last year to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.

She admitted that she used the identities of dead workers to create new applications for Social Security benefits and used her credentials to approve the applications and funnel the benefits to bank accounts she controlled.

She stole $732,382 from the government, prosecutors said. She used the money to pay bills on cars and mortgages as well as buy groceries, jewelry and cosmetics, according to court records.

Aroste was facing a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison on the fraud charge.