Missouri man admits 26-year Social Security fraud

ST. LOUIS (AP) — A 62-year-old Missouri man has admitted that he cashed his mother’s Social Security checks for 26 years after her death. Reginald Bagley, of Dellwood, pleaded guilty Thursday to stealing money belonging to the United States. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in eastern Missouri said in a news release that Bagley did not report his mother’s death in March 1994 to the Social Security Administration. He set up a bank account in 1998 to directly deposit her benefits, and the bank statements went to Bagley’s home. The scheme ended in 2020 when the Social Security Administration tried to reach Bagley’s mother because she was not using her Medicare benefits. Bagley stole $197,329 in Social Security benefits.