‘Black Panther’ themed prom mom indicted for social security fraud
A Philadelphia mother who went viral for throwing her son a Black Panther-themed send-off to prom is now making news for another unfortunate reason.
Outlets report that Saudia Schuler made a name for herself online for coordinating lavish prom parties and she often donates thousands of her own dollars to these events.
Most notably the creative mom reportedly spent $25,000 on her son’s prom two years ago.
Shuler has also become internet famous for her restaurant, Saudia Shuler’s Country Cookin’ on North 22nd Street, which has an active Instagram account known for its colorful posts.
But Tuesday, Shuler found herself facing several charges brought by the federal government, Philly.com reports.
According to prosecutors with the US Attorney’s Office, over the last four years, Shuler has allegedly been involved in social security fraud. Back in 2014, Shuler claimed she was disabled and unable to work, but after Social Security approved the benefits, she reportedly continued to operate her restaurant.
But Shuler’s attorney Tariq El-Shabazz told Philly.com that the allegations are untrue and his client was indeed as sick as she reported.
“Ms. Shuler suffered from a stroke and a result of that she was in rehab she was unable to do anything for two-plus years around the same time she was allegedly perpetrating this particular fraud,” said El-Shabazz.
El-Shabazz also noted that his client is widely known as a pillar of the community who does her best to help those in need.
