JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A man convicted of stealing over $230,000 from government agencies received his sentence on Tuesday, the Department of Justice said.
U.S. District Judge Brian Davis sentenced Robert Lee Lanier, 57, of Jacksonville, to 18 months in federal prison for theft of more than $236,000 in government property. He pleaded guilty on Nov. 18, 2016.
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According to court documents and sentencing testimony, Lanier had been receiving social security disability benefits and Medicare benefits since 1995.
In receiving the benefits, he indicated that he was unable to work. However, Lanier was actually operating a handyman service and boasted that he had “made millions of dollars” running the business.
Lanier was completing home repairs, performing trim work, building fences and doing other home improvements while receiving disability benefits.
He admitted that he had lied to investigators, and he knew he would be disqualified and lose his benefits if the government knew he was capable of working.
In all, Lanier received more than $155,316 from the Social Security Administration and more than $81,365 from the Medicare program over the past eight years.