Son Uses Corpse to Collect Benefits

Some people will do anything to retain their access to federal retirement benefits. In its latest semiannual report to Congress (only available in print for now), the inspector general at the Office of Personnel Management tells the story of an annuitant who shared a trailer with his son until the father died in Nov. 2005. Well, the two actually shared the home for quite awhile after that, too. It turns out the son kept the body around so he could continue to collect Dad's annuity payments, until his scheme was uncovered in July 2006. In September, the son pled guilty to abandonment of a corpse and theft, and was sentenced to 11 years in jail and ordered to pay almost $12,000 back to OPM.