What NOT to do with Costumes
by FunkyLady
There are many fun things you can do with costumes…dressing as your dead mother shouldn’t be one of them. Especially if you plan to commit grand larceny, forgery and conspiracy while you’re at it.
And yet, a New York man is accused of doing just that.
Officials say Thomas Prusik-Parkin donned a wig, heavy make-up and old-fashioned dresses and used a cane to portray his mother, Irene, who died in 2003 at the age of 73. The man posed as his mother for six years, to steal approximately $115,000 in benefits.
Parkin made sure his mother’s death wouldn’t be accurately recorded, giving the wrong Social Security information to the funeral director, so he could collect $700 a month in Social Security in her name (in addition to his own disability checks).
He is also accused of posing as his mother to file for bankruptcy and collect $39,000 in city subsidies to help pay rent on an apartment.
Parkin even enlisted a close friend to pose as Irene’s nephew, “helping” the “ailing aunt” get around town, cash government checks and assist in property transactions.
[via Daily Mail]
