BOSTON – A Taunton woman pleaded guilty in federal court in Boston today to concealing information and making false statements in order to receive Social Security disability benefits and Section 8 housing assistance to which she was not entitled.  

Marisha Ebanks, 40, pleaded guilty to one count of Supplemental Security Income fraud and one count of making false statements. U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs scheduled sentencing for Sept. 20, 2017.

In 1999, Ebanks began receiving housing assistance payments from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program; and in January 2003, she began receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI) disability benefits from the Social Security Administration (SSA). Eligibility for both Section 8 housing and SSI is based, in part, on the applicant having limited income and resources. In assessing a married individual’s eligibility for these benefits, the income of the applicant’s spouse is considered if they live together...