St. Petersburg Man Pleads Guilty to Stealing $44,448 in Government Funds

Tampa, Florida – In a shocking case of financial deceit, 53-year-old Michael Cornell of St. Petersburg has pleaded guilty to theft of government funds.

According to court documents, Cornell’s mother, the recipient of Social Security benefits, passed away on February 2, 2010. Despite the Social Security Administration not receiving notice of her death, monthly benefit checks continued to be sent to a post office box shared by Cornell and his mother until October 2013.

Cornell then forged his mother’s signature, deposited the checks into a bank account they shared, and transferred the funds to a personal account for his own use.

The total amount paid out after his mother’s death was a staggering $44,448. While the Social Security Administration was able to recover $12,440 from Cornell’s bank accounts, the full extent of the financial loss remains unknown.

Cornell faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison, although a sentencing date has yet to be set.

The case was investigated by the Social Security Administration – Office of Inspector General and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Adam M. Saltzman.