Robert Duquette, 74, of Hudson, New Hampshire, admitted in federal court today to stealing $101,250 in Social Security benefits meant for his deceased mother—money he funneled into his own pockets for more than seven years. The hard-fought federal case exposes a cold betrayal at the heart of a family tragedy, with Duquette exploiting a system built to protect the vulnerable.
According to court records unsealed today, Duquette’s mother was receiving widow’s benefits from the Social Security Administration when she died in October 2006. Rather than report her death, Duquette let the payments keep flowing into a joint bank account he shared with her. He never alerted authorities. Instead, he systematically withdrew the funds, treating the account as his personal piggy bank.
Month after month, from 2006 to 2013, the federal government sent checks to a woman who had been dead for years. Duquette cashed them anyway. He used the stolen benefits to cover his own living expenses, living off the ghost of his mother’s entitlements while federal agencies remained in the dark.
The fraud totaled $101,250—nearly a decade of illicit gains from a crime built on silence and deception. Federal investigators say Duquette’s actions were deliberate and sustained, not a mistake or administrative oversight. He knowingly defrauded the Social Security system, violating trust and law.
The Social Security Administration’s Office of the Inspector General led the investigation, tracing the illicit flow of funds through bank records and testimony. Special Assistant United States Attorney Karen Burzycki prosecuted the case, holding Duquette accountable for what prosecutors called a ‘greedy perversion of a safety net program.’
Duquette pleaded guilty to one count of Theft of Public Money in U.S. District Court in Concord. He is scheduled to be sentenced on January 24, 2017. If the court imposes the maximum penalty, he could face years behind bars and full restitution. For now, the message is clear: stealing from the system—even under the cover of family—comes with a price.
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Key Facts
- State: New Hampshire
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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