Son set up Social Security account for dead mom and took money for 26 years, feds say
A Missouri man pleaded guilty to stealing his dead mother’s Social Security payments for over 20 years, according to court documents.
Reginald Bagley, 62, of Dellwood did not tell the Social Security Administration when his mother died in March 1994, according to a Thursday, Dec. 1, news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri.
Instead, Bagley set up a bank account for his mother’s Social Security payments in March 1998 — four years after her death, according to the guilty plea agreement. The bank account used his address and the account’s statements had his or his mother’s name.
Bagley’s attorney did not respond to McClatchy News’ request for comment on Dec. 2.
The Social Security Administration realized the mother was not using her Medicare benefits and sent a letter trying to contact her, court documents say. Soon after, the bank account was closed.
Bagley pleaded guilty to stealing $197,329 of his deceased mother’s Social Security payments over 26 years, the release said. He will be sentenced in March. He faces a maximum penalty of up to 10 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both.
Dellwood is about 10 miles northwest of St. Louis.
This story was originally published December 2, 2022 at 11:33 AM with the headline "Son set up Social Security account for dead mom and took money for 26 years, feds say."
