An 87-year-old woman from Gwinnett County, Georgia, and her husband have been arrested in connection with an identity theft case. The couple is accused of stealing over $1 million in pension payments from her deceased mother for more than a decade, according to arrest warrants, per WSBTV.
Mary Ann Arceneaux, 87, and Ernest Arceneaux, 89, from Snellville, face charges of identity theft fraud and theft by deception following an investigation by the Gwinnett County Police Department’s Financial Electronic Crimes Unit.
Arrest warrants were issued on December 10.
Arceneaux’s mother, who was a retired teacher from California and relocated to Georgia after retiring in 1991, had passed away in June 2010. However, authorities claim the duo never informed the California State Teachers’ Retirement System of her death and allegedly forged documents to make it seem as though she was still alive. The investigation revealed that starting in May 2018, Arceneaux allegedly forged documents and submitted fake proof of life forms to continue receiving her mother’s pension payments.
According to the affidavit, she created “a new proof of life form with [her mother’s] name and forged signature” each year. Investigators claim these documents were notarized and sent to the California State Teachers’ Retirement System to ensure continued payments. The fraudulent activity came to light when officials discovered the mother’s death certificate from 2010 during routine verification checks by retirement system officials. The investigation indicated that the pension payments were deposited into a bank account before being transferred to other accounts linked to Arceneaux.
The total amount allegedly defrauded since 2010 amounting to $1,166,862.69, as stated in the arrest warrants. Both Arceneaux and her husband posted bail following their arrests last week and are now awaiting their trial dates.
#Clique, what are your thoughts?









