Woman Collects Dead Mother’s SS Benefits 30 Years

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) _ A Florida woman has pleaded guilty to stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars in Social Security benefits over three decades.

Prosecutors said Tuesday that after her mother died in 1984, Claudia Carpenter of Deerfield Beach continued to accept retirement benefits through a bank account they shared. All told, the now-60-year-old Carpenter stole more $239,000 between October 1984 and March of this year.

Carpenter faces up to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to two counts of theft of government funds. Prosecutors say she must also pay restitution. Carpenter’s sentencing is set for Nov. 24 in Fort Lauderdale federal court.