NJ woman stole her dead mom’s Social Security benefits for years

💲 NJ woman admits stealing money from her mom's Social Security account

💲 The mom has been dead for eight years

💲 The woman never reported her death to Social Security

TRENTON — A Middlesex County woman has admitted she defrauded the Social Security Administration out of thousands of dollars for over eight years by stealing her dead mother’s Social Security benefits.

On Monday, Deborah Bailey, 68, of Piscataway pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Robert A. Kirsch in federal court in Trenton.

Bailey’s mother had been collecting Social Security benefits from January 1997 until she died in July 2016. The benefits were paid through electronic funds into the mother’s bank account, to which Bailey was a joint account holder, authorities said.

After her death, Bailey did not notify the Social Security Administration and continued to make withdrawals from that bank account for eight years, between 2016 and 2024.

An investigation determined that Bailey stole more than $150,000 in retirement benefits.
She faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 for the charge of theft of public money.

Sentencing is scheduled for August 19.

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