Pulaski Times

Roy David Lykins, a 56-year-old resident of Greenbrier, Arkansas, has been sentenced to 19 months in federal prison for defrauding the Social Security Administration (SSA). The announcement was made by Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas. Lykins will also serve two years of supervised release following his prison term.

Lykins began receiving Title II Disability Insurance benefits in October 2001. However, during a medical review with the SSA in February 2005, he claimed that he could only walk short distances and was unable to care for himself or follow instructions. Despite these claims, an investigation revealed that from 2005 to 2018, Lykins worked as a salaried farmhand in Red Oak, Arkansas. He did not report this employment to the SSA and concealed his earnings by having paychecks issued in his wife's name and Social Security number.

If Lykins had reported his earnings as required by SSA regulations, his benefits would have been terminated in 2005. His failure to do so resulted in a loss of approximately $249,166.10 to the SSA. Additionally, he received Medicare benefits amounting to approximately $56,227.40 from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that he was not entitled to.

Jonathan D. Ross stated: “This defendant knowingly concealed his earnings and was untruthful about the status of his disability, resulting in the receipt of a significant amount of undeserved money and benefits.” He warned others against similar conduct.

Hannibal “Mike” Ware, Acting Inspector General for the Social Security Administration said: “Roy Lykins feigned a disability and provided a false Social Security Number to fraudulently obtain benefits from SSA for more than a decade... This 19-month federal prison sentence now holds him accountable for his criminal acts.”

Lykins was indicted on August 3, 2023, by a federal grand jury on charges including theft of government property and making a false statement. On January 24, 2024, he pleaded guilty to theft of government property leading to the dismissal of other charges.

The case was investigated by the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General.