A 66-year-old man from Somerset County has been sentenced to over a year in federal prison after authorities say he illegally collected his deceased father’s retirement benefits for nearly 20 years.
Steven Jones was sentenced on July 25, 2025, in federal court in Trenton to one year and one day behind bars. The sentencing was handed down by U.S. District Judge Robert Kirsch after Jones pleaded guilty to a single count of theft of public money, according to Acting U.S. Attorney Alina Habba.
Fraud Spanned Nearly 20 Years
According to court filings, Jones’ father passed away in October 2004 while receiving retirement benefits from both the Social Security Administration and the U.S. Department of Defense. Rather than reporting the death, Jones altered the death certificate to continue receiving the benefits. On two separate occasions, he arranged for another individual to pose as his father in dealings with federal agencies to keep the deception going.
From October 2004 through December 2023, Jones illegally collected $691,465.44 in retirement benefits intended for his deceased father.
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Additional Penalties
In addition to his prison sentence, Jones was also ordered to serve two years of supervised release and repay the full amount he stole.
Investigators and Prosecutors
The long-running fraud was uncovered by the Social Security Administration’s Office of the Inspector General. The investigation was led by Special Agent in Charge Amy Connelly.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Chana Zuckier of the Bank Integrity and Money Laundering Recovery Unit, along with Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Keith Abrams of the Narcotics and OCDETF Unit in Newark.
Jones is expected to report to federal custody to begin his sentence later this year.
