NEWARK, N.J. — A Matawan man was convicted of defrauding the Social Security Administration following a four-day federal trial, U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer announced Friday.
Steven D. Stankovits, 57, was found guilty by a federal jury on March 5, 2026, of four counts of wire fraud and one count of making false statements to the Social Security Administration. The verdict was rendered following a trial before U.S. District Judge Zahid N. Quraishi in Trenton federal court.
According to documents filed in the case and statements made in court, Stankovits was deemed eligible for Social Security Disability Insurance Benefits in May 2010, with payments retroactive to 2007. That determination was based on a series of lies, including claims that he was unable to work, could not comfortably sit for more than 15 minutes, could not bend to put on his clothes, struggled to lift a carton of milk, and had been forced to give up skiing. Stankovits continued to repeat and reinforce those false claims through written and verbal submissions to the agency over the following decade.
In reality, Stankovits was a licensed funeral director employed at two funeral homes. His duties included gardening, shoveling snow, carrying 160-pound caskets down flights of stairs, and climbing a ladder onto a roof to install a sign. He also took international ski trips to Cortina, Italy, and domestic ski vacations to Lake Tahoe and Park City, Utah, and purchased a season ski pass at Killington, Vermont. In total, the SSA paid out more than $585,000 in fraudulent disability benefits.
"For nearly 15 years, Steven Stankovits exploited the Social Security Administration's disability insurance program," Frazer said. "By repeatedly lying about his work and physical disability, Stankovits collected more than half a million dollars in fraudulent benefits. This conviction sends a clear message: those who lie to obtain government benefits will be identified, prosecuted, and brought to justice."
Michelle L. Anderson, Assistant Inspector General for Audit as First Assistant, echoed that sentiment. "Today's guilty verdict holds Steven Stankovits accountable for a nearly 15-year scheme that exploited Social Security's disability insurance program for personal gain," Anderson said. "He stole funds intended for individuals who truly depend on these benefits."
The wire fraud charges carry a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison each, while the false statements charge carries a maximum of five years. Both carry potential fines of up to $250,000 or twice the gain or loss involved in the fraud.
U.S. Attorney Frazer credited agents of the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General's New York Field Division and the SSA's New Jersey-based Cooperative Disability Investigations Unit with the investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Eli Jacobs and Alison Thompson of the Organized Crime and Gangs Unit. Stankovits is represented by attorney Charles Alvarez.
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