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Benefits collected in name of Cleveland kidnap victim to be repaid

CLEVELAND, Nov. 6 (UPI) -- A woman who used kidnap victim Michelle Knight's identity to collect Social Security benefits has agreed to repayment, sources told WOIO-TV, Cleveland.

The broadcaster reported Tuesday sources in the office of the inspector general for the Social Security Administration say the woman, a former roommate of Knight in Cleveland, will probably not be prosecuted because the amount involved is relatively small. But they said she will pay $19,600.

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Knight was held prisoner for more than a decade with two other women and repeatedly raped by Ariel Castro in his house in Cleveland before they managed to break free in May. Castro, who pleaded guilty and received a life sentence, was found hanged in his cell in September.

Investigators told WOIO the woman involved in stealing Knight's identity was close to her family.

The inspector general's office has refused to discuss details of the case publicly, citing privacy concerns, the television station said. A spokesman said the government would only be able to recover money taken wrongly in the past five years.

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