NJ Man Sentenced for Stealing $700K in Benefits After Father’s Death

• A Somerset man has been sentenced to prison for stealing government benefits
• He collected nearly $700,000 over two decades after his father's death
• He must now serve time and repay the stolen money

A North Jersey man is headed to prison for stealing nearly $700,000 in benefits after his father died.

66-year-old Steven Jones of Somerset previously pleaded guilty to theft of public money. Late last week, he was sentenced to one year and one day behind bars.

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How the Fraud Was Carried Out

Federal authorities said Jones' father received several federal retirement benefits before he died in October 2004.

After his father died, Jones intentionally falsified his father's death certificate so that the federal agencies would continue to issue the retirement benefits.

On two occasions, Jones had a person impersonate his father to a federal agency so that the agency would think his father was still alive and continue payments.

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Nearly $700K Collected Over 20 Years

An investigation revealed that Jones unlawfully collected a total of about $691,465 over 20 years, from October 2004 to December 2023.

Ordered to Repay Stolen Money

Once he has been released, Jones will be under two years of supervised release and will be required to repay nearly $700,000.