A 34-year-old Fargo man pleaded guilty to theft of government property after obtaining $52,176 in Social Security Disability Insurance benefits paid on behalf of a deceased relative, federal prosecutors said October 6, 2026. His sentencing was scheduled for January 11, 2027; no sentence had been imposed in the announcement.
What happened in the Fargo Social Security case?
Zachary Paul Femling pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Daniel L. Hovland to felony theft of government property. According to court documents summarized by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of North Dakota, Femling obtained his deceased relative’s Social Security Disability Insurance benefits without notifying the Social Security Administration (SSA) that the relative had died.
The alleged benefit payments covered August 10, 2021, through January 31, 2026. The federal announcement describes that span as four and a half years. The exact total identified by prosecutors was $52,176—not precisely $52,000. The U.S. Attorney’s Office announcement provides the case details; Valley News Live’s October 6 report also covered the plea and scheduled sentencing.
What happens next?
Sentencing was scheduled for January 11, 2027, at 9:00 a.m. in Bismarck. That is a scheduled hearing date, not a sentence already handed down. The October 6 announcement does not establish the eventual sentence, a restitution order, or the full terms of any plea agreement.
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Who investigated and prosecuted the case?
The SSA Office of Inspector General investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan J. O’Konek prosecuted it, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of North Dakota.
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