NJ man admits stealing $600K in benefits for his dead father over 20 years

A North Jersey man is potentially facing up to a decade behind bars after admitting to stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of benefits that were intended for his dead father.

Last week, 66-year-old Steven Jones of Somerset pleaded guilty in Trenton federal court to a charge of conversion of federal funds.

Federal authorities say Jones' father received several federal retirement benefits before he died in October 2004. After his passing, Jones intentionally falsified his father’s death certificate so that the federal agencies would continue to issue those retirement benefits.

On two occasions, Jones had a person impersonate his father to a federal agency so they would think his father was still alive and continue payments.

An investigation revealed that Jones unlawfully collected those payments for nearly two decades, from October 2004 to December 2023.

The charge of conversion of government funds carries up to ten years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

Sentencing is scheduled for April 21st.