David Budd. (Photo: LinkedIn)
A Detroit man is in prison after stealing nearly $100,000 in Social Security benefits following the death of his mother, then attempting to cover it up by having a homeless woman pose as her during a home visit.
He offered the woman $100 and a dinner from Coney Island. When busted, he lied to investigators and said the woman was his aunt.
The Detroit News has the story of 53-year-old David Budd:
Budd invited agents from the Social Security Administration's Office of Inspector General into his house. He led them into a child's bedroom decorated with bunk beds and pink bedding.
In one bed, agents found a woman. Budd introduced her as his mom, prosecutors wrote in the memo.
The story she told agents matched Budd's story. She said she had lived with him since suffering a stroke in 2014, and previously lived in Maryland.
Then, she stumbled.
She flubbed her maiden name. She flubbed her late husband's name and other details.
Then, agents found her cheat sheet.
Under the covers, agents discovered the woman was holding a crumpled piece of paper with personal information, including the Social Security number of Budd's dead mom.
Budd is serving a two-year prison sentence after local U.S. Attorney, a Trump appointee, upped penalties for Social Security fraud.
