Monica Obradovic
A man pleaded guilty in federal court today to cashing his dead mother's social security checks for more than two decades.
A Missouri man pleaded guilty to a theft of government property charge in federal court Thursday. The charge stemmed from his continuing to cash his dead mother's social security checks for 26 years after she passed away.
U.S. Attorney Diane E. H. Klocke said in court today that Reginald Bagley's mother died March 12, 1994, but that her death was not reported to the Social Security Administration and Bagley kept accepting social security payments intended for her all the way until July 31, 2020.
The checks were direct deposited into a bank account that had been setup in 1998.
Court filings indicate that around 2020, 26 years after Bagley's mother died, the agency attempted to send her a letter regarding her not using her Medicare benefits.
Soon after that letter was sent, the bank account was closed.
Over the course of those 26 years, Bagley accepted $197,329 in illegitimate social security payments.
The 62-year-old Bagley faces up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
Klocke indicated that the government will seek a full restitution for the almost $200,000 from Bagley.
We welcome tips and feedback. Email the author at [email protected]
or follow on Twitter at @RyanWKrull.
Coming soon: Riverfront Times Daily newsletter. We’ll send you a handful of interesting St. Louis stories every morning. Subscribe now to not miss a thing.
Follow us: Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter
