Washington Co. woman who kept disabled sister in cage gets time served for Social Security fraud

A Washington County woman who confined her disabled 53-year-old sister to a wooden cage while she used her Social Security payments will be released from federal custody.

Leona Biser, 52, of Vestaburg, pleaded guilty to Social Security fraud and representative payee fraud in February before U.S. District Judge Donetta Ambrose.

On Monday, Ambrose ordered Biser to time served — about nine months of incarceration — followed by two years of supervised release.

In addition, Biser must pay $12,201 in restitution to the federal government.

Biser still faces criminal charges in Washington County, including endangering the welfare of a care-dependent person, reckless endangerment, false imprisonment and unlawful restraint.

She is scheduled to plead guilty in that case in July.

Biser was charged in January 2020 after agents with the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s office found Biser’s sister in a man-made cell in the woman’s living room on Nov. 22, 2019.

The home, according to investigators, had no running water and was full of dog feces. They also found that the woman was not getting the proper care — including proper nutrition and her medications for a seizure disorder.

Biser told officers that she kept her sister in the cage because she was constantly falling.

The enclosure was made out of lumber and plywood and had a gate with a latch on the outside, according to the criminal complaint in the state case.

The woman was removed from Biser’s care, and taken to an area hospital, where she received treatment for a urinary tract infection and rhabdomyolysis, which is a breakdown of muscle that can be caused by infection, the AG’s office said.

A community service group has since obtained permanent guardianship of Biser’s sister.

About a month after the woman was removed from Biser’s care, she was able to smile and laugh and make eye contact with people and communicate, according to the criminal complaint. Her balance had also improved. Investigators said it was “a complete change” from the person they saw in Biser’s home.

Following the state charges, Biser was indicted in federal court in August for Social Security fraud. According to the indictment, she began receiving payments for Supplemental Security Income for her sister in October 2018 through September 2019.

The advisory guideline range in the federal case called for 0 to 6 months in prison.

The prosecution argued that Biser should be sentenced at the top of the guideline range.

“In sum, Ms. Biser took thousands and thousands of dollars from the government that should have been spent on the care of her disabled sister, and instead, spent that money on alcohol, cigarettes and video games, while her sister deteriorated inside a wooden cage in the living room,” the government wrote in its sentencing memorandum.

During her sentencing hearing, Biser told the court, “I learned my lesson, and I’m really sorry for what I did.”

Ambrose responded, “This was an horrific offense. Your sister lived in, virtually, squalor for 14 months while you were receiving money for her care.”

The judge acknowledged that Biser had an abusive, alcoholic mother, but said, “I don’t know what caused you to act the way you did when you became your sister’s caretaker in 2018.”

Josette Beers wrote the court a letter, calling Biser a caring and compassionate person who has lived a “very abusive life from childhood to adult.

“I understand what she did was wrong, but she was a desperate woman,” Beers wrote. “I don’t think she should have to pay for the rest of her life for a mistake she has already paid dearly for.”

Biser’s daughter, Amber Lancaster, also submitted a letter, telling Ambrose that she wants her mother to be part of her 2-year-old daughter’s life.

“My mom is a kind, beautiful, decent person who deserves another chance,” she wrote.