<prompt> Human: This is long-winded, so please bear with me. So, it turns out that my parents have illegally signed me up for welfare benefits, including SSI. At first it was legal because I wasnt yet 18. However, after I became an adult, I found out, when appyling for help for my family, that I was already receiving benefits, and have been for the last 12 years. SSI, TANF, etc., but all of the money was going to my parents. Now, Im deaf, so theres a legitimate reason why SSI paid me. However...They also signed up my youngest sister, who isnt disabled, netting them an additional 731 per month. My oldest sister also received over 25,000 in back pay from SSI shes not disabled, either, but only had 1000 left after 2-3 months, after making our mother the payee. I dont understand where all the money was going. My parents and I were living in subsidized housing and had our utilities paid for. Rent was only 260 per month or so, and the only utility they had to pay for was cable. Somehow, despite pulling in nearly 80,000 per year, they werent able to save any money. They were in the red, and constantly borrowing money from other people.Each time I tried to gain independence, it was met with fierce resistance. This is actually how I met my wife: I got so sick of my parents oppressiveness that I left the country using my FAFSA funds and student loans, and lived abroad for a while. I was pretty successful while living abroad on my own, but conditions deteriorated to the point where it was no longer liveable, and my parents had been sweethearts to us online for a long time. I decided to go back to America so I could finish college and asked my wife to come with me. Obviously, the reason nobody wanted to hire me in America was because I had no degree, right?I never fully understood why, in 10 years, that nobody replied to my requests for a job interview despite constantly honing my skills and sending them examples of my work, which was better than their competitors, and even their own work. I figured it was because I had no degree, so I started college at 28. We lived in a small town, so nobody could really afford any computer services that I offered. It wasnt until I started receiving a lot of panicked emails from recruiters that I realized it. I keep leaving messages on your answering machine! Ive been calling you for months, can you please check your messages? I spoke to your mother, and I am eagerly waiting for your phone call.My wife kept hearing constant interview requests on the phone. Combined with the persistent recruiter, and my wife telling me about the interview requests, something seemed very fishy to me. My parents NEVER told me about any job interviews. When I found one via email, they refused to take me to the interview. In fact, they refused to help me get my permitdrivers license until I turned 26, so I was pretty much stuck dependent on them for the longest time. Most of them had not bothered to email me. This one persistent recruiter, plus my wife, are the ONLY reasons how and why I was able to figure out what was going on: they didnt want me to achieve any kind of independence, so they purposely kept me from getting a job. Whenever recruiters would call, she told me Those are creditors. Hang up on them. Dont answer the phone! So Id just pick up the phone and put it back down. I responded via email and told them I couldnt hear on the phone, and asked if we could communicate via email. Many of them never responded after that, but some did...I went into debt trying to get back into college from when she had me removed and had all of my courses dropped. She was able to speak for me because I gave them permission. I couldnt hear on the phone. This, in addition to her oppressiveness, lunatic behavior: constantly threatening us, throwing things at us, physically assaulting me and trying to control everything we do, we decided to get the fuck out.I didnt trust her anymore, so we made a plan to get the fuck out. We had applied for public assistance and housing not supposed to happen on a green card, but we still got it so we could get away from the parents. They had been trying to control our every move, refusing to let us cook or clean, but complaining when we didnt. When we applied for public housing, thats when we discovered this income. The housing authority was able to help us log in and apply, but it turned out we were already getting stuff! I switched the payee to myself, and my mother found out. She physically assaulted me, she screamed at me at the top of her lungs and threatened me several times. She said I ruined the family, and financially destroyed them, and that she hopes I die and rot in hell. It turns out she was illegally collecting SSI for herself as well. 2,193 per month from welfare benefits, in addition to nearly 4,300 per month from my fathers retirement pension, while paying 263 per month for subsidized housing, among other things. Her benefit fraud was discovered, and her checks stopped. She was hysterical, and me, my wife, and infant daughter were thrown out onto the streets. Thankfully, the public housing authority helped us by putting us in a hotel for domestic violence victims.Fast forward several months later, no longer relying on my mother to make calls my wifes English isnt perfect, so shes intimidated by using the phone to communicate, but she worked through it, I got a job offer for 75k per year based on the skills I taught myself for so long I showed the employers what I could do, and I jumped all over it. SSI is now demanding that I repay some of the money from when my mother was the payee.My mother also borrowed some money FOR me, from family members, which I have to repay to them. Rather than give me the money that was supposed to be awarded to me. I visited the SSI office and they are still demanding I repay almost 2000 from when I was outside of the country.They also said I have six years to press charges on her. Honestly, I am wrestling with the idea of doing it. My wife doesnt want me to her culture is also into that whole, Honor thy father and thy mother thing, and I dont want to do that either. I hate them for what they did to me, but Im afraid of my younger sister being forced to grow up in a foster home. In total, I owe around 23,400: 8400 car payment 3600 student loans 2500 credit card 3500 to a good friend who gave us money to get out, and drive across the country for this job. 1700 to a friends friend who helped out. 2000 to family members who mom borrowed money for me.I would also like to finish the last two years of college I lost 3 years of time because of my mothers theft, and that is about 4000 per semester for tuition, out-of-state. Since they have an online program, I wont lose any of my progress.Now, I have a good idea as to how to get out of debt... simply pay it back. After our initial moving expenses are paid for, we should save anywhere from 2000 to 3100 per month, and we have the finances to pay it back within 2-3 years safely. We also have another baby on the way.Am I missing anything? What advice do you have to offer me? I really want to be financially responsible for my family. Assistant: This is not a financial issue, my friend. Get a lawyer. Get a really good lawyer. Human: I think this is a financial issue. This deals with a lot of money theft, fraud, debt, etc., but I apologize if I posted in the wrong subreddit.  <response>: This is a finance crime issue, hence financial law comes into play. Just trying to point you to sources for more useful advice. Obviously theres also a bunch of personal finance strategies that can help your situation, which other people have suggested in this thread. 