After admitting that he stole his late wife’s Social Security Disability Insurance Benefits, Albert Bayer, a 64-year-old man from Hillsborough County, Florida, was sent to jail for theft of government property.
The Department of Justice said that Bayer was given a federal prison term of one year and one day by U.S. District Judge William F. Jung. He was also told to pay back the full amount of money he stole, which is $76,547.
After he pleaded guilty in March 2024, it was revealed that Bayer had been illegally collecting benefits since April 2015 and continued to do so until June 2023, even though his wife L.D. had died on March 31, 2015. He lied to the Social Security Administration (SSA) about her death soon after she died, so they kept sending him money to pay for personal expenses without stopping.
Bayer was caught after a probe led by the Office of the Inspector General at the Social Security Administration. Special Assistant United States Attorney Suzanne Huyler was in charge of the case and made sure that Bayer’s actions did not stay hidden. The case shows a breach of trust against both the organization that was supposed to help the poor and the memory of his late partner, whose name was used improperly to steal money for personal pleasures.
