Willis Woman Convicted for Social Security Fraud

Willis, TX -- Call it old school identity theft. Back in the late 1980s, Jerrie Mona Chesney, 67, read about the death of a Beaumont woman.

Chesney called up the woman's family and pretended to be an old high school friend. Because it was pre-internet, the family didn't think twice about providing a complete stranger with biographical information about their recently deceased love one.

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Chesney then called up the mortuary that was handling the woman's funeral and, since this was pre-HIPPA, was able to get even more information about the woman. With what Chesney got out of the woman's family and the funeral home, she was able to get a Texas Driver's License and Social Security Card in the dead woman's name.

After getting the two forms of ID, Chesney went ahead and had the dead woman declared disabled. From about 1995 to 2014, Chesney collected Social Security Disability, Medicare and food stamps in the dead woman's name. All told, Chesney took the system for about $400,000.

On Wednesday, July 6, Chesney pleaded guilty in Federal Court to defrauding Social Security. She's set for sentencing in October, she could face up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.