LYNN — A Lynn man who continued collecting Social Security benefits intended for a person who had died has been sentenced to time served and ordered to repay more than $67,000, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
James C. Burdulis, 57, was sentenced Tuesday in U.S. District Court to one day in prison, with that sentence deemed served. U.S. District Judge Allison D. Burroughs also imposed three years of supervised release and ordered Burdulis to pay $67,159 in restitution.
Federal prosecutors said Burdulis improperly collected $63,959 in Social Security benefits and $3,200 in COVID-19 economic impact payments between June 2019 and June 2025. The money was intended for a Social Security beneficiary who had died.
According to prosecutors, Burdulis had been appointed as the beneficiary’s representative payee, making him responsible for managing the person’s Social Security benefits and submitting required reports to the Social Security Administration.
Instead, prosecutors said Burdulis filed a series of false reports after the beneficiary’s death. Between June 2020 and June 2024, he submitted five representative payee reports claiming the benefits had been spent on the beneficiary’s behalf, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Authorities also said Burdulis filed additional false paperwork with the Social Security Administration, including a verification form in September 2020 stating the deceased beneficiary was still living at the same address.
Burdulis was charged in the case on March 26. Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Nagelberg of the Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Lynn Police does not have a record of Burdulis being arrested. However, he was charged on March 26, The Item reported. At the time, he was charged with one count of receiving stolen government money or property and one count of false statements, but he had not been proven guilty.
