Woman lived off dead dad’s Social Security, pension for 15 years, Ohio officials say
A woman collected her father’s Social Security payments and employee pension for 15 years after he died, according to Ohio authorities.
The 62-year-old woman from Newark, Ohio, collected $254,115.74 in Social Security payments and pensions, the Department of Justice said in a July 8 news release.
The woman’s father died in January 2005, but she never notified the Social Security Administration of his death, court documents said. Instead, she used the funds as her primary source of income, collecting over 180 payments.
To withdraw funds, the woman used her father’s bank card. According to court documents, she also spent the money on a trip to Las Vegas shortly after her father’s death and methamphetamine.
The theft was found during an audit by the Social Security Administration, court documents said.
Authorities charged the woman with “theft of public money” and “theft or embezzlement from an employee benefit plan,” according to a Department of Labor news release.
The Southern District of Ohio court sentenced her to six months in prison with three years supervised release — and the repayment of all funds.
“This money was intended for some of our nation’s most vulnerable people: retirees, widows and people with disabilities, among others,” Kenneth L. Parker, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, said in court documents.
Newark, Ohio, is about 40 miles northeast of Columbus and about 125 miles southwest of Cleveland.
This story was originally published July 12, 2022 at 3:07 PM with the headline "Woman lived off dead dad’s Social Security, pension for 15 years, Ohio officials say."
