New Hampshire Man Pleads Guilty to $100,000 Deceased Payee Fraud

From the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of New Hampshire:

CONCORD, N.H. – United States Attorney Emily Gray Rice announced that Robert Duquette, 74, of Hudson, pleaded guilty today in the United States District Court for the District of New Hampshire to one count of Theft of Public Money.

According to court records and statements in Court, Duquette’s mother was receiving widow’s benefits from the Social Security Administration at the time of her death in October 2006.  After her death, Social Security continued to deposit these monthly benefits into a bank account Duquette held jointly with his mother.  Duquette failed to advise Social Security that it was making payments erroneously to his deceased mother.  Instead, he withdrew the monies from the account and used them for his own personal expenses for over seven years.  Because his mother’s death was not reported to Social Security, Duquette was able to convert approximately $101,250 in Social Security benefits to his own use. 

Duquette is scheduled to be sentenced on January 24, 2017. 

The case was investigated by the Social Security Administration’s Office of the Inspector General and prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Karen Burzycki.

CONCORD, N.H. – United States Attorney Emily Gray Rice announced that Robert Duquette, 74, of Hudson, pleaded guilty today in the United States District Court for the District of New Hampshire to one count of Theft of Public Money.

According to court records and statements in Court, Duquette’s mother was receiving widow’s benefits from the Social Security Administration at the time of her death in October 2006.  After her death, Social Security continued to deposit these monthly benefits into a bank account Duquette held jointly with his mother.  Duquette failed to advise Social Security that it was making payments erroneously to his deceased mother.  Instead, he withdrew the monies from the account and used them for his own personal expenses for over seven years.  Because his mother’s death was not reported to Social Security, Duquette was able to convert approximately $101,250 in Social Security benefits to his own use. 

Duquette is scheduled to be sentenced on January 24, 2017. 

The case was investigated by the Social Security Administration’s Office of the Inspector General and prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Karen Burzycki.