2 Plead Guilty to Using Fake Social Security Cards

A Social Security Administration employee and a U.S. Customs inspector have pleaded guilty in federal court to using fake Social Security cards to obtain a $208,050 mortgage loan.

Janice Washington, 38, a service representative with the Social Security Administration office in Watts, and her husband, Darryl, , 39, an inspector for the U.S. Customs Service, admitted in U.S. District Court that in 1991 they both submitted fraudulent applications for Social Security numbers, said Assistant U.S. Atty. Lisa E. Feldman.

Janice Washington approved the applications and submitted the forms for processing in her office, authorities said. The couple then used the new Social Security numbers to apply for credit cards, establishing a good credit history that enabled them to apply for a home loan in 1994, Feldman said.

The defendants are scheduled to be sentenced May 18. The maximum penalty is five years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.