A Social Security employee managed to steal $75,000 from his agency by creating fake identities for two children who never existed, then having the government send them nearly three years of benefit checks, according to federal prosecutors.

Lee Marvin Nichols was arrested earlier this week and has his first court appearance slated for Friday in Texas.

Prosecutors say he was working as a claims specialist at the time of the scheme.

He processed a disability claim of a terminally ill man in March 2020, then later fabricated the identities of two juveniles and linked them to a severely disabled woman in Mexico whom he wrote in as the mother, authorities said.

When the terminally ill disabled man died, Mr. Nichols then linked him as the two fictitious children’s father and directed that they get survivor benefits. The money started flowing in September 2020 and continued up through this summer, prosecutors charged in the five-page indictment.

They said he collected at least $75,000 in Social Security payments and also collected $1,400 for each “child” in bogus pandemic stimulus checks in 2021.

When he went to access the money, he wore sunglasses, hats pulled down low over his face and balaclavas to try to conceal his identity, prosecutors said.

No lawyer was listed for Mr. Nichols as of Thursday morning.

Social Security wouldn’t say what Mr. Nichols’ employment status is, calling it a personnel matter.

• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.