A New York woman is charged with concealing her live-in boyfriend’s body for several months in a recycling bin in their basement while using his Social Security benefits to pay for meals, retail purchases, and ATM withdrawals. She is also accused of occasionally dousing the remains with bleach to cover up the unpleasant smell.
The charges against 63-year-old Wendy Stone on Monday included theft of public funds, aggravated identity theft, and lying to receive Social Security payments from her boyfriend, Kenneth Crisman.
The charges, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s office, are punishable by up to $250,000 in fines and 10 years in prison.
The federal complaint claims that Crisman’s request for a replacement debit card for his benefits initiated the sequence of events even prior to his passing. According to the complaint, Crisman received the card at his residence four days before to his passing.
A few days after Crisman’s death, Stone and her son found his body inside his house, the son told authorities.
Stone allegedly made the decision to keep collecting Social Security payments after learning that Crisman was receiving them and to keep quiet about his passing. According to court records, she wrapped his body in plastic and tape, put it in a plastic recycling container, and stored it in the basement of their Rochester, New York, house.
According to court documents, Crisman passed away on December 28, 2022, but his debit card was reactivated with a new PIN on January 6, 2023, and the first purchases were made on the new card the next day.
According to the lawsuit, by January 15th, the card had been completely drained by expenditures from a restaurant, Walmart, The Home Depot, Staples, and ATM withdrawals.
Stone was accused of using the debit card when she and her son were seen on security footage Aug. 10, 2023, at a Walmart in Greece, New York, according to court records from the authorities.
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According to court filings, she was also spotted in a security photo taken by an ATM on June 6, 2023, withdrawing $300 and $400.
On March 7, 2023, the card was also used to open a $1,815.05. Rent-A-Center account. According to police, Stone stole $7,902 from Crisman’s benefits between January and September of 2023.
The Social Security Administration recalculated Stone’s eligibility for his own payments on January 3, 2024. Officials added that Stone had made up a story claiming that since December 2021, no one had moved into or out of her home, including births or deaths, and that no one had assisted her in paying her rent or utilities.
According to the paperwork, Stone was not eligible for her own benefits from December 28, 2022, to September 20, 2023, as a result of using Crisman’s benefits.
