ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WSPA) - A Candler man was sentenced to over a year in prison after stealing over $70,000 in government funds.

Mark Alan Barnes, 44, pled guilty in February 2025 to charges of Social Security benefits fraud. Court documents, from 2015 to 2020, revealed that Barnes had stolen $77,770 in retirement benefits that were intended for a deceased beneficiary, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of North Carolina.

Barnes had collected the beneficiary's retirement benefits with a debit card associated with the beneficiary's bank account, the DoJ said.

He was sentenced to 16 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised released.

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