DETROIT – A Syrian man, Samer Succar, pleaded guilty in Detroit to a felony charge related to the theft of thousands of dollars in Social Security Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits.
Succar, a naturalized U.S. citizen residing in Syria, appeared before U.S. District Judge Gershwin A. Drain and admitted to one count of theft of government funds on Monday (Jan. 5).
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Court records show that Succar received SSI payments from the Social Security Administration (SSA) as the Representative Payee for his mother’s benefits.
Under the Social Security Act, Succar was required to inform the SSA of any changes affecting his mother’s eligibility, including if she left the United States for a full calendar month or 30 consecutive days.
Instead, for more than 20 years, Succar knowingly concealed and made false statements to the SSA about his mother’s foreign travel and residency to continue receiving her SSI benefits.
Specifically, Succar claimed that he and his mother lived together in Michigan homes, while in reality, neither had lived in the U.S. since at least September 2022 for himself and September 2003 for his mother.
As part of a plea agreement, Succar agreed to pay $190,825 in restitution to the SSA.
A sentencing hearing is scheduled for April 22, 2026, at 11 a.m.