If there’s one silver lining to this case, it’s that the defendants are apparently admitting that they cheated Social Security. But now the bigger problem is that they’re saying it’s the government’s fault.

Last month 83 people were charged with participating in a $663,000 fraud that spanned 15 years. The defendants are accused of falsely telling the Social Security Administration that their benefit checks were lost. They would receive a replacement check, and cash both the replacement and the original (which was never really lost).

But in true American style, the defendants say it’s not their fault. It’s actually the government’s fault that they stole money with this scheme. How could it be the government’s fault? The defense says that when the government found that both checks were cashed, they asked the defendants to repay it. *gasp* Really?

The defense says that by treating this as a “debt issue” they shouldn’t now call it a crime. Oh let me guess…. if the thieves had been immediately charged with crimes when they stole this money, some bleeding heart defense attorney would cry that the government should first give them a chance to repay the debt.

The attorney, Daniel W. Stiller, is actually claiming that the government encouraged the defendants to commit their crimes. How stupid. Just because the government offered these criminals a chance to pay back the money, doesn’t mean they were encouraging them to commit further crimes.

Well, at least by asserting this defense, it appears that the criminals are admitting they did the crimes. The biggest offender in this case is Kenya Kimbrough, who is accused of asking for duplicate checks 38 times over 10 years, for herself and for five other people. She supposedly has schizophrenia, and has been collecting benefits for herself and her four children since 1994.

Here’s a great little piece of trivia: The social security office on West Fond du Lac Avenue in Milwaukee is near the top of the list for the country in terms of fraud. I’m shocked. Shocked, I say. Just another reason to do away with social security all together. Let those who need help be helped by their friends and family.