So you think they paid payroll taxes and income taxes on these bogus employees? I suppose you think they found some way to pay property taxes & sales taxes and file tax returns as well. LOL
I doubt it.
According to Dead Pelican, they padded numbers to allow officers to not have to live in New orleans. (i.e. showed a high enough percentage that did)
"... you can't make an SSN vanish."
Sure you can. It is done the same way that a SSN just "appears". Not to mention the fact that a SSN is NOT mandatory. Ever hear of a TID (Tax identification number). Tax ID's come and go daily.
Same way you get dead folks to the voting booth. People that always play by the rules seldom look at those that do not play by the rules.