Lynn Man Sentenced for Receiving Stolen Government Money and Making False Statements

BOSTON – A Lynn man was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for receiving stolen Social Security benefits and making false statements. James C. Burdulis, 57, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs to one day of prison deemed served, three years of supervised release and was ordered to pay $67,159 in restitution. In April 2026, Burdulis pleaded guilty to one count of receiving stolen government money or property and one count of false statements. Burdulis was charged on March 26, 2026. Burdulis received $63,959 in stolen Social Security benefits and $3,200 in COVID economic impact payments (EIP) from June 2019 through June 2025 that were intended for a beneficiary who had died. Prior to the beneficiary’s death in May 2019, Burdulis had been appointed as the beneficiary’s representative payee to manage their Social Security benefits and provide regular accountings to the Social Security Administration (SSA). Between June 2020 and June 2024, Burdulis submitted five fraudulent representative payee reports to the SSA under penalty of perjury in which he stated that he spent money received from the SSA on behalf of the deceased beneficiary after their death. Further, Burdulis submitted a fraudulent verification form to the SSA in September 2020 stating that the deceased beneficiary continued to live at the same location. Members of the public are encouraged to report suspected benefit fraud in Massachusetts by calling 1-855-SCAM-MA-1 (855-722-6621).