Missouri Man Admits To Concealing His Mother's Death For 26 Years

Thief and Social Security Card

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A Missouri man has admitted to concealing his mother's death from the United States government for nearly three decades so that he could collect her Social Security benefits after she passed.

62-year-old Reginald Bagley of Dellwood pleaded guilty Thursday (December 1) to a felony charge of stealing money belonging to the United States, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office in Eastern Missouri. Bagley's mother died on March 12, 1994. However, he did not report her death to the Social Security Administration. Instead, he set up a bank account in 1998 to have her benefits directly deposited. The bank statements, which had the name of either Bagley or his mother on them, were sent to his address.

Bagley's lies unraveled when the Social Security Administration tried to contact his mother because she wasn't using her Medicare benefits, according to prosecutors. Bagley closed the bank account and received a cashier's check for the remaining balance on July 24, 2020. In total. Bagley stole $197,329 in Social Security benefits.

Bagley faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, a $250,000, or both. In addition, he will also be ordered to repay the money at his sentencing on March 19.


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