Hi, I'm Lawrence Rufrano
From Victim to Visionary: Falsely accused of a crime due to outdated dusty, paper files masquerading as ‘databases’ in government offices.
I Emerged with a Mission: To propel U.S. agencies from 1950s filing cabinet mentality into the AI and Blockchain era. Join me in transforming bureaucratic blunders and manual paper shuffling into digital excellence.
About Me
33+ Years of Experience
In Finance, Technology & Policy
Independent Advisor: Bridging Tech, Finance, and Policy for Sustainable Solutions
I worked as an investment banker for money center banks for 23 years followed by 7 writing regulatory policy at the Federal Reserve Board and 3 years promoting the benefits of AI and Blockchain at Stanford University.
I now focus on developing AI and blockchain solutions to improve government transparency, efficiency, and accountability. My work aims to create systematic change while advocating for disabled and retired individuals who have been wronged by the system.
23 Years
Investment Banking
7 Years
Federal Reserve Board
3 Years
Stanford University
My Story
From Facing False Charges to Advocating for People
For years, I trusted and paid into the Social Security system—until it turned against me. After exposing financial misconduct within the Social Security Administration (SSA) due to grossly outdated record-keeping systems and negligence, I experienced:
- False criminal charges with no legitimate evidence in 2020.
- Threats of imprisonment for 20 years.
- Unnecessary exposure to COVID-19 to comply with government-imposed processes.
- Refusal to correct overstated income with the IRS, which generated threats from the IRS as well.
- Termination of my retirement payments without warning in 2023.
- Years of legal battles and legal fees just to prove my innocence.
The truth came out, and the DOJ dismissed charges against me in 2022—the SSA Inspector General's Office had tampered with my records and withheld evidence that proved my innocence.
In 2023 and 2024, Congress and the Department of Justice (DOJ) discovered that the SSA had unlawfully stopped payments and penalized over a million Social Security recipients in the prior 6 years. The DOJ investigation continues.
My Fight for Justice is a Fight for Millions of Americans
Applied for disability benefits.
Fought through a complex process.
Discovered widespread misconduct within the SSA.
Exposed SSA misconduct but faced false charges and lost benefits.
DOJ dismissed charges, confirming SSA misconduct.
President Biden fired the SSA Inspector General over widespread misconduct.
President Trump dismissed 17 Inspector Generals for similar abuses.
My Fight for Justice is a Fight for Millions of Americans
Applied for disability benefits.
Fought through a complex process.
Discovered widespread misconduct within the SSA.
Exposed SSA misconduct but faced false charges.
DOJ dismissed charges, confirming SSA misconduct.
Biden fired SSA Inspector General.
Trump dismissed 17 Inspector Generals.
Financial Abuse by Social Security
2023 Revelations
In 2023, award-winning authors Terry Savage and Laurence Kotlikoff released "Social Security Horror Stories – Protect Yourself from the System and Avoid Clawbacks". For example, the book exposed how Social Security had wrongly targeted 2 million innocent Americans, using them to correct billions of dollars in errors and other abuses made over the past decade.
60 Minutes Investigation
After the book’s release, 60 Minutes aired an investigative report revealing how the Social Security Administration was stripping Americans of their rightful benefits. In some cases, elderly and disabled individuals were hit with fines as high as $400,000 or had their payments cut off without proper authority.
2024 Congressional Action
Following these revelations, Congress and the Department of Justice launched investigations, uncovering a disturbing pattern of misconduct that has financially devastated millions of elderly and disabled Americans.
Root Causes of Poor Service at Social Security
Some root causes of poor U.S. government service at Social Security include underpaid staff and outdated systems, leading to mismanagement and harm to millions.
Underpaid & Untrained Staff
After hundreds of visits and calls to SSA offices across the country, I found that many employees are severely underpaid, poorly trained, and unaware of federal laws or SSA's operating procedures. Most employees work remotely, ignore voicemails, and sometimes unknowingly break the law.
- Inadequate training on federal laws
- Poor response to customer inquiries
- Limited accountability measures
Outdated Technology
The SSA relies on outdated software from the 1950s, limiting employees' ability to handle cases efficiently. Many records are still maintained in paper formats and stored in decommissioned mine shafts. Customer-facing staff mostly distribute forms, with little access to critical information or authority to solve issues.These staffers function like human bots, restricted from critical thinking or empathy, leaving people stuck in a slow, ineffective system.
- 1950s legacy systems still in use
- Paper-based record keeping
- Limited digital infrastructure
Blame Over Accountability
Millions of Americans are suffering because SSA isn’t fulfilling its role as a reliable financial caretaker for the nation's retirement and disability plans. Instead, as 60 Minutes reported, the agency has fostered a culture of blaming and penalizing the very people it’s meant to serve for its own shortcomings.
- 1980s legacy systems still in use
- Paper-based record keeping
- Limited digital infrastructure
"Ironically, the US government imposes strict standards and severe penalties on banks and pension funds responsible for managing retirement plans."
Fixing Social Security with AI & Blockchain
AI for Fair & Fast Processing
Agentic AI can easily learn Social Security's 30,000 pages of operating manuals to better address individual claims. It can also audit procedures for compliance with federal laws and regulatory standards, streamlining operations to improve efficiency.
Blockchain for Secure & Accessible Records
Blockchain technology can secure personal records, giving individuals full control over their information while preventing unauthorized changes by system failures or malicious government employees. It powers a Social Security digital wallet, ensuring real-time access to records and tax contributions.
AI & Blockchain Can Follow Justice Better Than Humans
Ironically and unfortunately, I believe AI can be trained to act more fairly and humanely than human employees. U.S. laws are built on principles of fairness, justice, and human dignity. Yet, for various reasons, we often fail to uphold these values. In contrast, AI programs and blockchain protocols can be designed to follow these principles consistently, without deviation.
The necessary technology exists; it is simply a matter of Social Security adopting it. AI and blockchain can streamline Social Security’s processes, reduce its workforce while increasing compensation for the remaining employees, and ensure a more efficient and fair system.
SSA’s Mistakes
Lobbying for Restitution of the Victims of SSA’s Mistakes
Millions of elderly and disabled American’s lives were destroyed by SSA’s mistakes. Elderly women in their 80s were forced to go back to work. Those who were blind were fined hundreds of thousands of dollars for mistakes SSA made over 20 years ago. The true character of a nation is reflected in its treatment of the weak and elderly. It’s not in America’s character to abuse the elderly and disabled. I am seeking support to lobby the US government to pay damages to millions of Americans hurt by SSA.
Latest News
Get In Touch
Contact Information
me@lrufrano.com
Location
San Francisco, CA
Building a Better System for Americans
With the establishment of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), I hope to demonstrate the ability of current technology to end these abuses. I invite Americans to share their stories on this website, proving to DOGE the urgent need for better systems that truly serve the public. In the meantime, I have engaged a technology company to demonstrate how AI can benefit SSA.