Woman Stole $100K In Dead Sister's VA Benefits Over A Decade: DOJ

BROCKTON, MA — A woman who stole over $100,000 from the federal government by cashing her dead sister's benefits checks has pleaded guilty to theft of public funds, the U.S. Department of Justice announced.

Robin Calef, 63, of Brockton, failed to inform the Department of Veterans Affairs that her sister, who was receiving monthly benefits checks, had died in December 2006, the U.S. District Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts said.

The VA continued to deposit monthly benefits into a bank account held by Calef and her sister from Dec. 1, 2006 to Sept. 20, 2017, and Calef stole the funds from that account.

In total, she took approximately $102,289 in VA funds, officials said.

Calef pleaded guilty to one count of theft of public funds in federal court in Boston, officials said. That charge provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine.

U.S. Senior District Court Judge Douglas P. Woodlock will sentence Calef on March 1, 2022. Sentences are imposed based on federal guidelines and other statutory factors, officials said.