Trucker indicted for Social Security fraud

August 16, 2022

Tyson Fisher

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A trucker, Dwayne Bent, has been indicted in a federal court for Social Security fraud after failing to disclose two passed U.S. Department of Transportation physical exams.

Bent was indicted in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania on eight counts of wire fraud and one count of Social Security fraud, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Office of Inspector General.

The indictment alleges that Bent defrauded the Social Security Administration to obtain disability insurance benefits through fraudulent pretenses.

In October 2014, Bent submitted an application for SSA disability insurance benefits and was approved in January 2017 with a retroactive disability date of May 21, 2013.

According to the indictment, Bent claimed he was unable to drive more than short distances and unable to obtain employment as a truck driver. However, he had passed a U.S. DOT physical exam in October 2016.

From March 2017 through August 2019, Bent allegedly collected over $200,000 in SSA disability insurance benefits payments while concealing from the Social Security Administration that he passed two DOT medical examinations in 2016 and 2018.

In June 2017, Bent allegedly applied for supplemental benefits for four of his five dependent children. The following year, he passed another U.S. DOT physical exam.

Bent received medical examiner certificates in 2016 and 2018 deeming him physically qualified to drive a commercial motor vehicle in accordance with the physical qualification standards, which allowed him to drive a commercial motor vehicle across state lines with no medical restrictions. In addition, Bent also allegedly concealed his employment as a commercial motor vehicle driver from SSA.

The U.S. DOT’S Office of Inspector General is conducting this investigation with the SSA Office of Inspector General. LL