Pubdate: Sat, 20 Apr 2002 Source: Post-Standard, The (NY) Copyright: 2002, Syracuse Post-Standard Contact: http://www.syracuse.com/syrnewspapers/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/686 Author: John O'Brien FEDS: DRUG SALES NOT REPORTED TO SOCIAL SECURITY Man Accused of Being a Drug Dealer Now Also Accused of Hiding Drug Income An accused drug dealer has been charged with defrauding the federal government by collecting welfare benefits without revealing his income from drug sales. Van Williams, 57, of 4371 Olympus Heights Drive, Onondaga, pleaded innocent this week to charges that he defrauded the Social Security Administration by failing to disclose that he was working as a drug dealer since 1995 while he collected monthly benefits. Williams applied for Social Security benefits by saying a knee injury left him unable to work. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lisa Fletcher said she wasn't aware of another case in which an accused drug dealer was charged with fraud on accusations he failed to disclose to the government that he was working as a drug trafficker. "Technically, it's considered self-employment," she said. Williams was indicted in March on charges of conspiring with eight others to sell cocaine, money-laundering, defrauding the federal government and illegal weapons possession. He had already been indicted on the drug and weapons charges. The indictment lists these properties of Williams as proceeds of crime that should be forfeited: $347,850 in cash in a safe deposit box; $79,335 in cash found in a drop ceiling in his home; the contents of nine bank accounts; a 1992 Jeep Cherokee; a 1999 Lexus RX300 sport utility vehicle; a 1999 Mercedes-Benz ML430 SUV; a pro-stock nitrous oxide dragster bearing the name "Mission Accomplished"; three guns; and three homes in the Syracuse area. Williams was convicted in 1980 of selling heroin and served three years in prison. He was convicted in 1990 of possessing cocaine and served another three years in prison. "It boils down to greed," Fletcher said. "He'd been arrested and convicted and sent to prison twice for it. He had his house on Onondaga Hill, he had his Social Security, his wife had a job. But it just wasn't enough." Williams' lawyer, Richard Priest, said the case started out in state court until the large amounts of cash turned up. That got the attention of federal authorities, he said. Priest said the fraud charges pose a minimal threat to Williams in comparison with the drug charges, for which he would face more than 10 years in prison if convicted. Williams is being held in jail without bail. - --- MAP posted-by: Josh