California, United States
Man stole $800,000 from dead mother’s welfare for more than 30 years
In the United States, a man stole social benefits from his dead mother for decades
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A man from California claims to have kept quiet about his mother’s death for 32 years and cashed in on her welfare payments. In this way, the 65-year-old stole more than $ 800,000. Now he faces a long prison sentence.
A 65-year-old man from Poway, California, has stood trial for decades over his deceased’s welfare payments to have cashed in on my mother. The man did not report his mother’s death for around 32 years and used her identity to swindle hundreds of thousands of dollars, local prosecutors said.
The 65-year-old has previously pleaded guilty to social security fraud and money laundering in federal court in San Diego. The man is said to have swindled more than $830,000 in government funds between 1990 and 2022.
Falsified tax returns and money laundering
According to the prosecutor, the accused admitted that his mother died in Japan in 1990 and was receiving a widow’s pension and another pension at that time. After the mother’s death, the son continued to maintain her bank accounts and forged her signature in order to continue receiving her state benefits.
As the Los Angeles Times reports, the son reported his mother’s death to the US Embassy in Tokyo, but purposely omitted her social security number from the documents so her monthly benefit checks could continue to be deposited into her bank accounts. At the same time, he filed for personal bankruptcy, the public prosecutor continues.
In addition, he had submitted forged tax returns for more than two decades in which he posed as his mother. The defendant also admitted to opening credit accounts with at least nine different financial institutions “with fraudulent intent” and laundering the stolen money to pay off the mortgage on his home.
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The accused face a maximum of 25 years in prison in the United States
“This crime is believed to be the longest running and largest fraud of its kind in this county,” said District Attorney Randy Grossman. “Not only did this defendant passively collect checks sent to his late mother. It was an elaborate scam that spanned more than three decades and required aggressive action and subterfuge to sustain the scam.”
As part of his confession, the 65-year-old defendant agreed to pay more than $830,000 in compensation and to give up his home. He faces a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison and a $750,000 fine, according to prosecutors.
The accused was initially released on bail. The verdict is expected in mid-September.
Sources: United States Attorney’s Office, “Los Angeles Times”, “U.S. Today”.