Pa. man accused of concealing mother’s death, collecting $350K in benefits

WILLIAMSPORT — A Bradford County man has been accused of fraudulently obtaining $350,000 in Social Security and Veterans Administration benefits for 17 years by concealing his mother’s death.

Richard Burke was charged Wednesday in U.S. Middle District Court with wire fraud.

He is accused of converting for personal use his mother’s benefits that continued to be electronically transferred into a First Citizens Community Bank account after her death in 2005.

Until her death, his mother, identified as S.M., was receiving her late husband’s benefits through the retirement, survivors and disability insurance program funded by Social Security taxes and the survivors pension program under the Veterans Administration.

The deposits continued into 2024 because Burke did not report his mother’s de