A Maryland man, Andrew Langford, was sentenced to federal prison after investigators found he collected more than $270,000 in Social Security disability benefits he was not entitled to by hiding his work and business ownership.
A federal judge handed down an eight-month prison sentence and three years of supervised release to Andrew Langford, 50, of Fort Washington, for wire fraud tied to a long-running disability benefits scheme. Court records show Langford received over $270,000 in Social Security disability payments between January 2014 and May 2021 that investigators say he was not entitled to.
Langford originally applied for Social Security disability in November 2008, claiming he could not work because of a disabling condition. In May 2009 he applied for child or auxiliary benefits for his three minor children, and later that year the Social Security Administration began paying his disability benefit.
The agency also warned Langford that he had a duty to report any return to work or improvement in his health. Prosecutors allege he ignored that duty, concealing that he had active businesses and income while continuing to collect disability payments.
Investigators say Langford operated two cleaning companies, NDA Cleaning Services, LLC, and CK Janitors, Inc., registered in Maryland and Virginia. He used an IRS system to apply for Employer Identification Numbers for those entities, and he failed to disclose his ownership and earnings to the SSA during periodic checks.
Official records show Langford filed Articles of Organization for NDA Cleaning Services, LLC, in March 2015 and later filed Articles of Reinstatement in October 2018, listing himself as resident agent. Virginia business filings list him as director and CEO of CK Janitors, Inc., from November 2015 through April 2018.
When an SSA employee asked about the businesses in August 2020, Langford reportedly denied knowledge of NDA Janitorial Services and NDA Cleaning Services and claimed he last worked in 2008. That account conflicted with IRS wage records and the corporate filings that pointed to active business operations.
In September 2019 the SSA sent Langford a Continuing Disability Review notice, and in January 2020, after required documentation was not produced, the agency mailed a proposed decision to end his benefits. By May 2021 the SSA mailed notices informing him of overpayments for both disability and child or auxiliary benefits.
IRS records used in the review showed Langford reported substantial income, including more than $100,000 in tax years 2012, 2014, and 2016, a sign of earnings inconsistent with his disability claims. Prosecutors say he used business structures and misstatements to hide his ability to work and his true income from the SSA.
U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes announced the sentence alongside Special Agent in Charge Amy Connelly of the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General Boston–New York–Philadelphia Field Division and Special Agent in Charge Andrew McKay of the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration Mid-Atlantic Field Division. The prosecution was handled by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Kertisha Dixon.
Officials described this case as part of broader efforts to crack down on fraud in federal benefit programs and noted its ties to larger enforcement priorities. The Department of Justice created the National Fraud Enforcement Division (“Fraud Division”) to investigate and prosecute fraud against the American people, and this prosecution was identified as aligned with those efforts.
Authorities also connected the case to the Trump Administration’s “Task Force to Eliminate Fraud,” which officials say is a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse in federal benefit programs. U.S. Attorney Hayes praised the investigative work of the SSA-OIG, TIGTA, and the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation unit for their roles in developing the evidence.
The court found Langford guilty of using deceit and concealment to obtain federal benefits, and the sentence reflects the government’s effort to hold fraudsters accountable and recover misspent funds. The case underscores the consequences when beneficiaries fail to report changes in work status or income while receiving Social Security disability payments.
