Andrew Langford pleaded guilty in federal court after receiving more than $270,000 in Social Security disability and child benefit payments from January 2014 through May 2021 while concealing his return to work and business income. Court and agency records show he ran two cleaning companies, filed corporate paperwork, and used IRS systems for business filings while failing to tell the Social Security Administration about his earnings.
A Maryland man, Andrew Langford, 50, of Ft. Washington, entered a guilty plea this week to a wire fraud charge tied to a Social Security disability benefits scheme. U.S. Social Security Administration records show Langford received over $270,000 in disability and auxiliary payments to which investigators say he was not entitled.
The public case files trace Langford’s interaction with the SSA back to November 2008, when he applied for disability benefits claiming he could not work because of a disabling condition. In May 2009 he applied for child and auxiliary benefits for his three minor children and was later notified that he would begin receiving payments, along with the agency’s warning that he must report any return to work or improvement in health.
Prosecutors say Langford never reported that he had returned to substantial work activity and instead set up and operated two businesses, NDA Cleaning Services, LLC, and CK Janitors, Inc., registered in Maryland and Virginia. He used an IRS portal to obtain Employer Identification Numbers for those firms but allegedly hid his ownership, income and ability to work from the SSA to keep collecting benefits.
The fraud timeline includes an August 2020 moment when an SSA employee asked about Langford’s businesses and he allegedly denied any knowledge, saying he had never heard of NDA Janitorial Services or NDA Cleaning Services, and claiming he last worked in 2008. That statement contrasts with business filings and other records federal investigators later used in their case file.
State filings show Langford submitted Articles of Organization for NDA Cleaning Services, LLC in March 2015 and later filed Articles of Reinstatement in October 2018, with Langford listed as the resident agent. Virginia State Corporation Commission records also list him as director and CEO of CK Janitors, Inc., from November 2015 through April 2018.
In September 2019 the SSA sent Langford a Continuing Disability Review notice indicating a re-examination of his case, and in January 2020, after required paperwork was not provided, the agency mailed a proposed decision to end his benefits. That proposed termination was based in part on the agency’s review of earning records the IRS had on file, which raised immediate questions about his reported disability status.
By May 2021 the SSA had mailed Langford notices asserting he had received overpayments of disability and child/auxiliary benefits that he should not have received. IRS records cited in the criminal case show Langford reported annual earnings above $100,000 for the tax years 2012, 2014 and 2016, data that contradicts a continuing claim of disability.
Langford faces a statutory maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison for wire fraud, though actual federal sentences are typically lower than the maximum. A federal district court judge will determine the final sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors, and sentencing is scheduled for Tuesday, September 1, at 10:30 a.m.
On April 7 the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (“Fraud Division”). The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.
Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the guilty plea alongside law enforcement partners and named Special Agent in Charge Michael McGill, Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General (SSA-OIG) – Philadelphia Field Division, and Special Agent in Charge Andrew McKay, Mid-Atlantic Field Division of the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA). U.S. Attorney Hayes also thanked Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Kertisha Dixon, who is prosecuting the case.
Federal officials say the prosecution is part of a broader effort to target benefit fraud and related schemes that divert taxpayer dollars. The investigation and plea underscore how cross-agency records, including IRS earnings data and state corporate filings, can reveal discrepancies that trigger criminal referrals and prosecutions.
