The Nazi Social Security Saga Continues, Suspects Received $20.2 Million

The problem of Nazis receiving plump social security checks is worse than many people ever thought.

A new report from the top social security watchdog revealed to the AP that the 133 SS guards, war criminals, and others suspected of participating in the horrific crimes of Nazi Germany received a combined total of $20.2 million in benefits.

The AP has been instrumental in investigating the Nazi social security scandal, and prompting action in Congress to end the benefits, but the administration had refused to give them a specific number. Now, thanks to the Social Security Administration’s Inspector General, they know the full extent.

On average each suspected Nazi received a little over $150,000 between February, 1962 and January, 2015.

According to Yahoo! News, Rep. Carolyn Maloney made an official request to the inspector to crunch the numbers. She said in a statement that the report will hopefully bring clarity to the bizarre story.

“We must continue working to remember the tragedy of the Holocaust and hold those responsible accountable. One way to do that is by providing as much information to the public as possible. This report hopefully provides some clarity.”

Maloney and her colleagues in Congress created the No Social Security for Nazis Act shortly after the AP published a report about situation on November, 2014.

As previously reported by the Inquisitr, the bill passed unanimously in a rare show of bipartisanship.

According to the original story, the AP found that the Justice Department was using a legal loophole in the Social Security Administration to bribe former Nazis to leave the U.S. in exchange for benefits.

After World War II, a wave of former Nazis made their way to America, by some estimates as many as 10,000. Many blended into American society, lying about their pasts and getting jobs.

The U.S. government was slow to respond. The Justice Department started hunting domestic Nazis in 1979.

Now, with the former war criminals venerable and well into retirement, the Justice Department allegedly tried to expel the Nazis by promising not to cut off their Social Security payments if they just voluntarily left the country.

The department has denied paying off the Nazis.

Nevertheless, the inspector’s report says that 38 alleged Nazis received $5.6 million in Social Security benefits before they were deported. Yet, strangely, $14.5 million was paid to 95 suspected Nazis that stayed in the country.

The Inspector General found that the administration had complied with the new law and ended payments, although four beneficiaries improperly received $15,658.

Speaking informally, the inspector says that although there were 133 suspects, only 81 have been conclusively proven to be connected to Nazi Germany, the other Social Security beneficiaries may not have had anything to do with the Third Reich.

[Image Credit: Getty Images]