CT man pleads guilty to money laundering after defrauding Social Security Administration for over $150K

A Bridgeport man has pleaded guilty to taking part in a scheme to defraud the Social Security Administration for more than $150,000.

A Bridgeport man has pleaded guilty to participating in a scheme to defraud the Social Security Administration, federal officials said.

Trovoy Dixon, 31, on Friday, pleaded guilty to money laundering and waived his right to be indicted, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office.

Court records show that in 2021, a group of fraudsters used stolen identities to contact the administration posing as Social Security recipients and have Social Security funds routed to bank accounts they controlled, federal officials said.

The fraudsters would often provide the administration with confidential information, like Social Security numbers and dates of birth, to validate their stolen identities and would then request changes to their bank account deposit information — so that deposits for the recipients would be sent to their bank accounts, according to federal officials.

In August of 2021, a person involved in this scheme who was using a Jamaican-based telephone number called Dixon and asked if he wanted to turn a profit by moving money, federal officials said.

Dixon agreed and was told to open bank accounts that he would control, which he did. Money generated from the scheme would be deposited into his bank accounts and he would then withdraw cash and wire some of the money to accounts in Jamaica and Mexico, according to federal officials.

Between August 2021 and July 2023, more than $300,000 was deposited into Dixon-controlled bank accounts.

Some accounts were closed due to suspicious withdrawal activity, and when that happened, Dixon reportedly opened new accounts to continue the scheme, federal officials said.

Dixon admitted he kept almost half the money for himself and that he “consciously avoided learning the monies were illegally obtained, although in time he knew them to be,” officials said.

Dixon pleaded guilty to one count of money laundering and agreed to pay restitution of $161,000.

He has been released on a $50,000 bond until his sentencing, which is scheduled to be sentenced on June 30. He faces up to 20 years in prison, officials said.