A former employee of the Social Security Administration district office in the Antelope Valley who admitted stealing over $25,000 from beneficiaries was sentenced Thursday in federal court to probation and restitution.
Dion Bright Jr., 34, of Lancaster, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Fernando Olguin, who ordered restitution in the amount of the theft along with a year’s probation.
Bright pleaded guilty in July 2025 in downtown Los Angeles to a misdemeanor count of theft of government property.
As part of his job duties at the SSA field office in Lancaster, Bright would use a database to access claimants’ records to process claims for the aged, blind or disabled, and for workers who lost income due to physical or mental impairment.
During the scheme, from September 2022 to June 2023, Bright accessed beneficiaries’ SSA records, changed their mailing addresses so that they would not receive notices that their account information had been revised, and rerouted their benefits to a U.S. Bank account he controlled, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
After diverting benefits belonging to others to the bank account, Bright accessed stolen funds by making cash withdrawals at an ATM in Lancaster or by using the account to pay bills, his plea agreement states.
Prosecutors say he abused his authority to steal at least $25,075 in SSA funds.
A Los Angeles federal grand jury indicted Bright in June 2024 on charges of wire fraud and theft of government property in excess of $1,000.
The government argued for a sentence of two years’ probation, including six months of home detention. The defense countered that a year of probation would be sufficient.