Man dresses up as dead mother for 6 years to cash SS checks.

[Snake Alchemist]

Jurors in a New York court will see surveillance footage today of a man who allegedly dressed up as his dead mother for six years to cash her Social Security checks, even going as far as visiting the DMV for a new license in the get-up.

Thomas Prusik-Parkin is accused of collecting more than $115,000 on his mother Irene Prusik's government benefits and rent subsidies for six years following her death in 2003.

In what the Brooklyn district attorney's office called an "elaborate fraud," Parkin and an accomplice allegedly appropriated Social Security benefits, social service payments and a townhouse, all while Parkin was dressed as his deceased 77-year-old mother.

An accomplice, Mhilton Rimolo, posed at Prusik's nephew when the duo went out in costume.

http://gma.yahoo.com/blogs/abc-blogs/n-y-jury-see-video-man-posing-dead-172828031--abc-news-topstories.html

Got to admire the dedication to the scam.

[Fire Walk With Me]

1. Norman?

[KansDem]

7. LOL!!!

[CTyankee]

20. No, mother, no!

[badtoworse]

11. Beat me to it!

[RebelOne]

14. That's the first thing that came to my mind--Psycho. n/t

[whathehell]

16. My first thought too, LOL!

[DevonRex]

2. It's almost like an episode of "Shameless."

OMG.

[bongbong]

3. Terrible!

That is about 0.0000000000007% as bad as the thousands of 1-percenters that rip off the US taxpayer.

[dixiegrrrrl]

18. I did the math..comes to 722.00 a month.

All of that effort for 722.00 a month.

Rental assistance came to 902 a month...

[Enrique]

4. not bad

http://l.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/X9c8AvntT7iPVvEj2t7zpg--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7cT04NTt3PTMxMA--/

[Snake Alchemist]

5. I would have liked to have photos of him with the oxygen tank. nt

[Gregorian]

17. This thread would have been worthless without pictures.

[Life Long Dem]

6. Guess he never heard of direct deposit.

[tanyev]

9. That's what I was going to post.

Geez, what a moron. Even the drive through or ATM would have been smarter.

[Downwinder]

8. So much for photo ID's.

[malaise]

10. I wonder how many other thieves are looting government

in this way

[dpibel]

12. Here's one

Former Senator Bill Frist's family business, HCA, paid $1.7 billion in fines and penalties for fraud against Medicare and other government programs.

That's worth 14,783 people like this guy.

Excuse me if I'm underexcited by this story.

[malaise]

13. Weren't Rick Scott and his folks also raiding

government medical programs

[Hassin Bin Sober]

19. Yep....

Columbia/HCA fraud case details
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Scott#Columbia.2FHCA_fraud_case_details

On March 19, 1997, investigators from the FBI, the Internal Revenue Service and the Department of Health and Human Services served search warrants at Columbia/HCA facilities in El Paso and on dozens of doctors with suspected ties to the company.[21] The Columbia/HCA board of directors pressured Scott to resign as Chairman and CEO following the inquiry.[22] He was paid $9.88 million in a settlement. He also left owning 10 million shares of stock worth over $350 million.[23][24][25] In 1999, Columbia/HCA changed its name back to HCA, Inc.

In settlements reached in 2000 and 2002, Columbia/HCA pled guilty to 14 felonies and agreed to a $600+ million fine in the largest fraud settlement in US history. Columbia/HCA admitted systematically overcharging the government by claiming marketing costs as reimbursable, by striking illegal deals with home care agencies, and by filing false data about use of hospital space. They also admitted fraudulently billing Medicare and other health programs by inflating the seriousness of diagnoses and to giving doctors partnerships in company hospitals as a kickback for the doctors referring patients to HCA. They filed false cost reports, fraudulently billing Medicare for home health care workers, and paid kickbacks in the sale of home health agencies and to doctors to refer patients. In addition, they gave doctors "loans" never intending to be repaid, free rent, free office furniture, and free drugs from hospital pharmacies.[4][5][6][7][8]

In late 2002, HCA agreed to pay the U.S. government $631 million, plus interest, and pay $17.5 million to state Medicaid agencies, in addition to $250 million paid up to that point to resolve outstanding Medicare expense claims.[26] In all, civil law suits cost HCA more than $2 billion to settle, by far the largest fraud settlement in US history.[27]

[progressoid]

15. 19K a year? That's nothing.

Haliburton can steal that much every five minutes.