Arizona fraud suspect extradited from Spain to stand trial

PHOENIX — A Spanish man suspected of defrauding the Social Security Administration using forged medical records has been recently extradited to the U.S., authorities said.

Joseph P. Stanton was indicted in 2022 for allegedly organizing a scheme to forge medical records to obtain benefits through Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), according to a Friday news release from the Arizona Attorney General’s Office.

The fraud suspect currently faces multiple felony charges, including three counts of forgery and one count of fraudulent schemes and artifices.

He will face prosecution in Arizona.

How alleged crimes of fraud suspect were uncovered

Stanton allegedly claimed to have suffered from Stage 3 pancreatic and liver cancers in order to collect SSDI benefits.

When his first fraud attempt failed, he appealed the denial of his application by using forged medial documents, prosecutors said.

An ensuing investigation from the Arizona Department of Economic Security’s Disability Determination Services determined his claims were fraudulent.

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