Philadelphia restaurant owner Saudia Shuler, who went viral in 2017 for throwing her son an elaborate Dubai themed prom send off, has been charged with defrauding the Social Security Administration, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
Prosecutors allege that Shuler applied for disability benefits by claiming she was unable to work, then kept working after the benefits were approved, including running her own restaurant. A spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in an email on Tuesday that the work and income were never reported to Social Security, in violation of program rules. The government says the benefits at issue total about $37,000.
Shuler made headlines last year when she spent a reported $25,000 on her son’s prom night, which included a camel, three tons of sand and exotic cars for a block party style celebration in her neighborhood. Later in the year she gave out hundreds of gifts and brought in two reindeer for a neighborhood Christmas event. She has said she wanted to give back to her community after difficult moments in her own life.
Shuler, 44, has been indicted but has not been convicted, and she is presumed innocent. According to reports, the charges carry a maximum sentence of up to 140 years in prison. No response from Shuler was included in the initial reports.
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