Man admits to stealing nearly $20K in federal benefits meant for his missing girlfriend's disabled son

A man has pleaded guilty for committing wire fraud and aggravated identity theft in Essex County, New Jersey.

Asmar Earp, 37, admitted to his role in embezzling federal benefits meant for the disabled child of his former girlfriend shortly after she went missing in 2017, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey.

Earp was in a romantic relationship with a woman identified as V.W. and shared a house with her when she started receiving monthly payments administered by the Social Security Administration for her disabled son who was a minor. V.W. was the one who received the payments since her son was determined not capable of managing the SSI benefits on his own.

On or around December 24, 2017, V.W. went missing and six days later Earp fraudulently gained control of V.W.’s son’s benefits by changing the PIN code on the debit card used to access those funds, officials said.

In March and April 2018, Earp also fraudulently used V.W.’s name, date of birth, and social security number to receive replacement debit cards to continue accessing and using V.W.’s son’s benefits.

“From December 2017 through February 2020, Earp and others acting at his direction repeatedly and fraudulently took the money intended to help V.W.’s son and used it on themselves,” the attorney’s office said in a statement.

According to the indictment, Earp and others under his direction, used the debit cards to withdraw the SSI payments in New Jersey and Ohio during the timeframe the attorney’s office mentioned.

In total, Earp caused the SSA to pay him approximately $19,797 in SSI payments that were payable to V.W. as her son’s representative and intended exclusively for his benefit.

Earp was charged with two counts of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.

Each count of wire fraud carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000, or twice the gross loss to the victim or gain of the defendant, whichever is greatest.

The count of aggravated identity theft carries a statutory mandatory penalty of two years in prison, which runs consecutively to any other term of imprisonment, and a fine of $250,000, or twice the gross loss to the victim or gain of the defendant, whichever is greatest.

V.W.'s whereabouts remain unknown as of February 2023.

Officials did not state whose care V.W.'s son has been in since she went missing.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.