Son doesn’t report mom’s death for 5 years to pocket Veterans Affairs checks, feds say

A man didn’t report that his mom died for nearly five years and pocketed more than $60,000 in her Veterans Affairs checks in Florida, federal officials said.

The 64-year-old man has now pleaded guilty to theft of government property, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida said in an April 24 news release.

The Pasco County man had power of attorney that gave him access to his mother’s checking account, federal officials said. The woman received money from the Department of Veterans Affairs as the spouse of a deceased military veteran.

She died Oct. 2, 2017, but her son didn’t notify Veterans Affairs about her death, officials said. The agency continued depositing checks into her account every month until March 2022.

“In total, he stole $63,359.92 in funds belonging to the United States,” officials said.

He’s accused of spending the money on “his own personal and business expenses.”

His attorney declined to comment to McClatchy News.

He was indicted in September and pleaded guilty April 4, court documents show. He faces up to 10 years in prison.

He’s scheduled to be sentenced July 11.

The man is from Odessa in Pasco County, roughly a 25-mile drive northwest from downtown Tampa.

This story was originally published April 24, 2024 at 6:26 PM with the headline "Son doesn’t report mom’s death for 5 years to pocket Veterans Affairs checks, feds say."