MACON, Ga. (WGXA) -- A Macon man could be sentenced to 15 years in prison and a quarter-million-dollar fine after being convicted on federal theft charges on Wednesday morning.

According to the Department of Justice, 54-year-old Demetris Hill was convicted of one count of theft of government property and one could of false claims against the government after fraudulently collecting monthly disability benefits for over a decade.

Court records and evidence presented at trial show that Hill applied for and was approved for disability from the U.S. Railroad Retirement Board over ten years ago. During the application process, Hill agreed to report any work, earnings, or changes in his disability status and received six annual notifications between 2014 and 2019 reminding him of the agreement.

Hill helped open a cleaning company in 2013 after collecting disability for about a year and continued to collect the benefits for the next nine years while running the business, successfully, and failed to ever notify the Railroad Retirement Board.

The estimated amount of ill-gotten benefits is well over $100,000.

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