Newark man pleads guilty to stealing disabled child’s benefits: court documents

NEWARK, N.J. (PIX11) — A Newark man pleaded guilty to stealing benefit money intended for the disabled child of his former girlfriend shortly after she went missing in 2017, according to U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger.

Asmar Earp was in a romantic relationship with a woman identified in court documents as “V.W.” According to the documents, Earp, 37, lived with the woman who had a disabled child who was also a minor.

V.W. applied for Supplemental Security Income around September 2016 on behalf of her son, according to documents. She was approved and started receiving SSI benefits through a debit card sent by the program around May 2017.

A second debt card was issued on Dec. 3, 2017, and V.W. went missing on Dec. 24, 2017. Earp took control of the benefits six days later by changing the PIN number, according to court documents.

According to documents, Earp used V.W.’s personal information to get a new debit card in March and April 2018. Court documents show that between December 2017 and February 2020, Earp, with the help of others, took money intended for helping V.W.’s child and used it for personal use.

Earp stole around $19,797, prosecutors said.

The location of V.W. is still unknown, according to court documents.

Earp pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft, according to officials.

Jonathan Rizk is a digital journalist who has covered local news in New York City and Washington, D.C. He has been with PIX11 since August 2022. See more of his work here, and follow him on X and Facebook @OfficialRizk . Get in touch at jonathan.rizk@pix11.com .

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