Grand jury indicts Madison County woman on charges she stole from disabled daughter

A grand jury in the U.S. Court for the Southern District of Illinois has returned a 21-count indictment charging a Madison County woman with stealing Supplemental Security Income funds that were intended for her disabled daughter.

The indictment also charges Melissa D. Wasylak, 48, of East Alton, with wire fraud and making false statements on forms submitted to the Social Security Administration.

The SSI program provides a minimum level of income to aged, blind, and disabled individuals with limited resources.

According to the indictment, Wasylak applied for her disabled daughter to receive SSI benefits and was appointed as her daughter’s representative payee. But in 2008, Wasylak’s daughter moved out of the house to live with her father.

Wasylak continued to receive her daughter’s SSI funds and use them for personal expenses until May of 2019, the indictment alleges.

According to federal sentencing guidelines, wire fraud is punishable by up to 20 years in prison. The maximum punishment for theft of government funds is 10 years’ imprisonment and making a false statement on a Social Security form carries a five-year statutory maximum term of imprisonment. Each of the charges comes with a possible fine of up to $250,000 in addition to possible restitution.

Wasylak is scheduled to be arraigned by United States Magistrate Judge Gilbert C. Sison on April 5 at the federal courthouse in East St. Louis.

This story was originally published March 19, 2021 at 3:39 PM.