QUEENS, NEW YORK: A man has reportedly been sentenced to eight years in prison for stealing his deceased mother's social security payments for a year, according to authorities, per the New York Post.
Charles Alton Bump Jr, 62, stole $53,000 meant for his late mother, Elizabeth Dorothy Case, a former Jamaica, Queens, resident and retired principal account clerk for New York State, state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli said.
Bump Jr's misdeeds came to light when a concerned neighbor reported that Case, who had relocated to Somerset, Maryland, to live with her son, had not been seen in a year to the Social Security Administration in 2019.
Why was Charles Alton Bump Jr arrested ?
The SSA's attempts to contact Case were fruitless, leading them to request her appearance in person to continue receiving payments. Upon her son's appearance, skeptical SSA investigators proceeded to question him.
Bump Jr claimed his mother, who did not have a passport, was on a global cruise and only reachable by email, DiNapoli said. The comptroller said that Case had never left the country.
Soon, Bump acknowledged his mother had died. The comptroller stated, "Investigators believe he disposed of her body,” refraining from providing further details, per the New York Post.
Bump Jr is believed to have fraudulently acquired nearly $53,000 from her retirement funds: $24,641 from the Social Security Administration and $28,679 from the New York State pension fund.
How did Charles Alton Bump Jr steal his dead mother's money?
Bump Jr regularly withdrew these payments from his mother's bank account. “Bump went to the bank every month and withdrew the SSA and retirement payments from her account in full,” the NY state watchdog said.
Bump was arrested and arraigned in Maryland on three counts of felony theft and the bond was set at $5,000 in January.
In a strange twist, Bump Jr had answered his late mother's cell phone during an interview and said that his "remarkable and affectionate mother" had started living with him in 1996 and their last interaction was on his 60th birthday on March 30, 2021.
Bump Jr maintained that she died "peacefully due to old age" in March 2022. "She was on vacation overseas and her last wishes were to be buried at sea,” he claimed.
Bump further claimed, "She was fortunate to reach nearly 92 years of age. Her determination was unwavering."
DiNapoli said, "Mr. Bump’s alleged crimes were callous and driven by greed. This case should be a warning to anyone, anywhere who’s thinking of trying to defraud the pension system: you’re going to get caught."
