Cincinnati man cashed deceased mom's Social Security checks for 27 years

CINCINNATI (WTKR) -- Curtis Joash spent his dead mother's Social Security checks for 27 years before the Social Security Administration finally discovered his fraud in 2017 and stopped it.

The former Cincinnati truck driver and pastor pleaded guilty last year to wire fraud and theft of public money after he admitted to stealing more than 300 monthly Social Security payments mistakenly paid to his mother, Novellar Butler.

In his plea agreement, Joash admitted to stealing a total of $187,665.

“I made a mistake,” Joash, 75, told U.S. District Judge Michael Barrett on Jan. 13 during his sentencing hearing in Cincinnati.

Barrett sentenced Joash to five years of probation, including six months of home confinement. The judge also ordered him to pay $187,665 in restitution to the Social Security Administration.

MORE:

• Cincinnati man cashed deceased mother's social security checks for 27 years - WCPO