A 57-year-old Green Cove Springs man who buried his dead mother in the back yard so he could keep collecting Social Security and pension benefits has been sentenced to federal prison.
Brian Lee Adams collected more than $33,000 in benefits before admitting to his daughter that his mother, Janelle Adams, had died of natural causes a year earlier, officials said.
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“Adams stated to (his daughter) that he had not reported the death so he would continue to receive her Social Security benefits,” Brian Adams’ federal plea agreement said.
In an interview with investigators, Adams said he wanted to keep receiving her benefits because he did not have a job and had no way of supporting himself or his son, court documents said.
Adams told agents with the Social Security Administration that he and his son, who was not identified, took his mother’s body to the back yard of their home in the 2400 block of Creekfront Drive, his plea agreement said.
Along with Janelle Adams’ Social Security benefits, Brian Adams also received and used pension payments from Anheuser Busch, investigators said.
Brian Adams pleaded guilty to charges of theft of government property and aggravated identity theft on Oct. 31, court documents said.
He was sentenced to five years in federal prison Monday.
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