Every now and then we hear about judges who get in trouble for improper behavior, but this might be a new one.
A former Social Security judge in Alabama has been charged with several counts for allegedly trading Social Security benefits for sexual favors.
Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) Paul Stribling Conger, Jr., 73 of Akron, recently entered into a plea agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s office to the charges of theft of government property, obstructing justice and accepting a gratuity, according to court documents as noted by this article from the Associated Press.
The improper sexual contact was with a female Social Security disability claimant that was seeking Supplemental Security Income (SSI), which the claimant was approved for. It appears that the claimant was seeking to receive her past-due benefits of $10,000 all at once, which led to the improper relationship. Typically Social Security will divide a person’s past-due benefits into installments.
Allegations claim that not only was there an improper sexual relationship between Conger and the claimant, but that the sexual contact actually occurred in Conger’s chambers at the federal courthouse in Tuscaloosa.
A workplace complaint led to an investigation by the Inspector General. Conger, who is also a former circuit judge in Tuscaloosa County, served as an ALJ for the Social Security Administration from 1999 to 2014. The alleged improper sexual relationship with the claimant occurred in late 2013. An arraignment on the charges has been set for September 15.
There is actually more to the story and you can get the specific details from the article, but Conger attempted to pay money and use his standing as an ALJ to try and cover-up the improper relationship. The article does not identify the person Conger had the relationship with and she is only identified as T.M. in court documents. J J
