Woman Collected Dead Mother's Benefits For Six Years While Decomposing Body Lay In Her House

[babylonsister]

Benefits Collected for a Long-Dead Mother

By CARMEN GENTILE
Published: June 22, 2009


SEBASTIAN, Fla. —A South Florida woman pleaded guilty to collecting her dead mother’s federal benefits for six years after her death, all the while the mother’s decomposing body remained in the house the two women shared.

As part of a plea agreement, the woman, Penelope Jordan, 61, faces a sentence of up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

In addition, she must repay $237,876 she collected unlawfully.

The case is similar to one in New York City in which a man is accused of not only concealing his mother’s death for six years to collect her benefits, but also of dressing up as his mother to support the fraud.

Ms. Jordan was arrested in March after the authorities responded to complaints by her neighbors of an overwhelming stench emanating from garbage on her property and the presence of numerous feral cats.

With Ms. Jordan’s consent, the police entered the dilapidated house and discovered it was cluttered with garbage. After repeated inquiries by detectives about her mother’s whereabouts, Ms. Jordan admitted that her mother, Timmie Jordan, had died some time ago. She then directed the officers to a bedroom where they found the mother’s decomposed body clad in a nightgown and covered in a sheet.

Detective Rich Snell said Ms. Jordan told him she did not have the money to bury her mother, “so she left her in bed.”

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http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/23/us/23body.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

[lisa58]

1. how sad

[Turbineguy]

2. Sounds like she

already served 6 years voluntarily.