Plainfield man pleads in federal fraud case

BURLINGTON — A Plainfield man has agreed to plead guilty in federal court to a felony charge of making false statements to the Social Security Administration to get unwarranted benefits, records show.

John Cozza, 63, made the false statements hiding his employment in order to receive Disability Insurance Benefits, according to the criminal charge filed in U.S. District Court.

Cozza has reached a plea agreement with the U.S. Attorney's Office in Vermont in which he will admit his guilt to lying to SSA to get benefits that he was not entitled to receive, records show.

Under the written plea agreement, both sides said Cozza must make at least $68,323 in restitution and they will recommend that he be placed on federal probation for two years instead of going to prison.

The law provides for a maximum penalty of up to 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release after he is discharged from prison and up to a $250,000 fine.

By cooperating early in the case and not forcing the government to take the case to a grand jury, Cozza is hoping for a lighter sentence.

Cozza is due to appear before Chief Federal Judge Christina Reiss on Sept. 19 to formally enter his guilty plea.

He applied for Expediated Reinstatement of Social Security Disability Insurance Benefits on March 18, 2021, according to a nine-page signed plea agreement.

The application for benefits stated Cozza had not been self-employed in both 2020 and 2021 when he knew the statement "was knowingly and willfully false, fictitious and fraudulent," the plea agreement states.

Cozza said in the plea agreement that he was self-employed during that time as a handyman and he knew if he had disclosed that information it would materially impact the amount he would receive from SSI or could impact his eligibility.

President Donald Trump has stated he wants to fight waste, fraud, and abuse in government in part by stepping up fraud prosecutions. The White House stated in March just the Social Security Administration made an estimated $72 billion in improper payments between 2015 and 2022.