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Portage County Sheriff's Office / AP
From left, Ronald Disher, Delores M. Disher and Charles T. Jost are accused of receiving $175,000 in Social Security benefits issued to Marie Jost, who was last seen alive 30 years ago.
Three family members have been charged with cashing the Social Security checks of a Wisconsin woman who has been missing for 30 years and who authorities suspect is dead.
Charges including theft and mail fraud have been filed against Charles T. Jost, 66, Delores M. Disher 69, and Ronald Disher, 71. They are the son, daughter and son-in-law, respectively, of Marie Jost, who would be 100 if she were alive today. The three made their initial appearances in Portage County Court in Wisconsin on Monday, WSAW-TV reported.
Marie Jost, from the Amhert Junction area in Portage County, was last seen about 30 years ago, and investigators say her body might be buried on her Amherst property.
On Monday, police brought in an excavator to dig deeper on the property but did not immediately find any remains.
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The sheriff’s office began an investigation after receiving a call from a Social Security Administration official on Aug. 30 saying that benefit checks mailed to Marie Jost’s home were being cashed by an unknown person.
Investigators went to the home and were met by Charles Jost, who said his mother wasn’t home and was on a trip with her other son, Theodore, who also hasn’t been seen since the 1980s, according to court records.
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A neighbor told an investigating deputy that he had lived in the neighborhood for the past 20 years and had never seen Marie Jost at the home in that time.
According to prosecutors, the three accused relatives had received $175,000 in Social Security benefits issued to Marie Jost, the mother of Charles and Dolores. Investigators said they found $9,000 in a fanny-pack in Marie Jost’s home and another $8,000 in a search of Disher’s home, according to WSAW.
NBC News' James Eng and The Associated Press contributed to this story.
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I hope this poor lady at least died of natural causes and they didn't kill her. Kind of have to wonder about the missing brother too. I am definitely going to have to go to the local news source to see if there are any pictures of these people. Unbelievable from all aspects.
I have heard that the government works slow but 30 years to report someone else is cashing her checks that is crazy.
Are these three part of Romney's 47%?
Does every single article that has nothing to do with politics have to have some political moron trolling the comments? Seriously Sawyer, you're pathetic.
Hey... fraud NEVER happens... who needs ID.... Not SSI recipients, Voters, Immigrants (legal or otherwise)... because showing ID is voter suppression... every one is honest, law abiding......
(oops that sounded political.. didn't it AzDrummer89?
Oh, poor Flame77_7, he actually thinks that voter fraud is real. Too bad the "voter ID" proponents haven't been able to cite any instances of actual voter fraud that would have been prevented by the restrictive measures they want to establish. The "voter ID" laws are a bad solution to a non-existent problem.
Early Out...
The fact (?) that no voter fraud has ever been reported is because they will always be covered up and kept from the public who would be aghast if they knew their voting roles were tainted. People voting in more than one voting place has been happening for ages. To even believe that this never happens is sheer stupidity.
Ole-Ed
To believe there's a cover up because you think it's happening is just paranoid.
Amazing, it took THIRTY YEARS for the SSA to find out someone else was cashing the checks. Imagine how many more CROOKS are out there doing the same thing.
Wait a minute, the SSA gives out $ 11,000,000,000 to folks who FRAUDULENTLY receive disability payments. Think how much OTHER FRAUDULENT activity goes on within their OTHER programs.
Heck, the SSA has about 66,000 folks to DISCOVER these fraudulent activities. What are they doing ? Playing games on the GOVERNMENT COMPUTER ?
Think how much could be saved in ALL GOVERNMENT AGENCIES if someone on the beltway had a pair to audit these agencies. While doing an audit, they should look for all the NON-PRODUCERS and FIRE THEM.
And, here we are.....on the verge of a FISCAL CLIFF and another downgrade to the U.S. dollar.
@ Sawyer they voted for Obama to get the free benefits.
175,000 / 30 yrs /12 months = $486 a month / 3 people =$162 per month per person. Thats nothing compared to the banks and wall street in this country and no ones punishing them, they just get more money!
I just hope there was no foul play in the mothers death. 70 yrs old doesnt really mean she had to be murdered
All three look like nut cases. Especially the one on the right. Thirty damn years and SSA never made contact with that woman.
Bob Bo Jingles, you are one ugly lookin' dude!
Bob Bo - "I do not blame them. Screw the crooked government out of every dime you can."
Where do you think the government gets its money? Here's a hint; if you ever get a job you'll notice it being collected from your earnings.
ldo; you failed to mention the hundreds of thousands who are eligible for benefits that are not getting them because SSI is flooded with too many applicants and a reduced work force that can't keep up - sounds like SSI is coming out in the black by being under staffed. You want more fraud to be caught but are unwilling to pay people to catch them. That info came from your own link.
Many people have reported that they went back to work - again, under staffing is not following up on this. Your article is from 2008 - SSDI asked George Bush for more funding to catch up on the problem - and Bush didn't deliver.
Got a more recent article?
I'm disabled and am paid through Labor & Industries - they hound the @!$%# out of me and my doctors. Less than 1% of L&I claims are fraudulent. It's people like you that take the 1% and try and make it sound like the majority of claims are fraud...go screw your self - I hope you have to experience what I've experienced, you will have to swallow hard when it comes time to eat your hateful words.
Would you like me to email you all of my medical records and doctors & lawyer reports - they are about 4 feet high...I'll even send you pictures of all my scars - from all 12 of my operations.
Any of you who think getting L&I and SSDI payments are a walk in the park - just try to get benefits, get back to me on how far you got.
Bo Bob's brain is Jingling around in his head.
They look like a hot mess!
Wow, that's cheap. How an anyone really live on that? I wonder if they were collecting welfare, housing, and food stamp assistance as well.
Instead of arresting these people, put them to work and make them pay it back. Arresting them is going to cost the taxpayers more than 36k a year each to keep them in jail.
When are we going to start prosecuting politicians that are robing the people left and right with their for life pension plans they never earned.
Then we have ole charlie Rangle that cheated on his taxes, Joe Walsh that still has not paid his over 1390k in back child support, and all the politicians that fixed it so they can get free insider trading that is illegal for the rest of us.
Yes, what these people did was wrong, but we have much bigger fish (politicians) to fry that are way much worse than these three people.
175 large and they spend more time and resources on this than investigating Solyndra, Ronald Perelman, Jon Corzine, etc., etc., etc.
Don't know about any of these? Thank the Obama cheerleaders at the mainstream media outlets. You need to care to be informed about this stuff.
There are several variables that must fall into place in order to ensure SSN Benefits stops once a person is deceased. In that no missing persons report was issued for Mrs. Jost, and she was never considered deceased, then there is no way the administration could have known, because there was no death certificate filed. There are periodic checks that are conducted, but the woman involved in the deceit could very well have pretended to be the woman. These type of fraud cases have been going on for years, and there have been younger individuals involved in cashing there grandparents checks. If you all do your homework, you will know this, so please, stop acting as if this is something new.
If these idiots had half a brain between them they would have switched it to direct deposit a long time ago and just used a debit card for the withdraws. But I would say looking at them that brains are in short supply in their gene pool.
1wizard, don't give any idea to God knows how many others are out there.
SSC. broken for people like that.
Dead People Voting- Food Stamp Fraud/abuse rabbid (especially since Obama Tweaked the rules BEHIND Americas back)
Michelle MANDATING school lunches under the guise of "caring about Obesity"
Yet, Michelle nor any Obama Leftest has a problem with their FOOD STAMP VOTER buying Pop-Chips-Booze-Candy -
As usual 2 sets of Rules - One set for Americans NOT ON FOOD STAMPS & an entirely different set for OBAMA DEMOCRATS! MSM dishonest propaganda tools of Obama.
At least LOOK @ Drudge Report Americans see what un-edited unfiltered NEWS looks like!
Bill Clinton: "I did not have sex with those people."
Imagine what Mexicans are stealing from poor Americans!
You'd think that they could've splurged on a tube o' Toof Paste for a total of (3) Teeth amongst them!
Looks like your typical Repub voter base. Sorry, but it's true.
Naw, they have to be Hobama voters. Free stuff for all. Well, all except actual taxpayers.
THIRTY YEARS?
Um yoo hoo, it's not the govt. who cashes the checks it's the BANK...SS does not have the resources to baby sit every adult who qualifies for a check it's NOT public aid after all...the entity actually processing the payment, like the BANK, is the one responsible, and most likely who reported them.
...and BOB taxpayers are the ones paying for and recieving social security, I can't believe how ignorant people are about it. YOU pay for it, every time you get your paycheck, if you actually work, they take a deduction out...so it's YOUR money. It's not a handout, you pay in and when you are retired you collect...duh...like a cheap, govt. run pension...
Social Security is not a 'entitlement', anyone who has paid taxes (including foreigners) has paid into the system.
They look like liberal left wing welfare trash.
A true redneck spectacle to behold, but one question, Wisconsin? They sure do look like critters you would normally see in the deep south....more gum, less teeth!
Eileen, did I say SS was free? I agree with you. So read before you shoot your mouth off.
they robbed the government around 6000.oo dollars a year...and the government indebted us how many trillion a year...i guess the rich can get away with stealing...the poor can't...
I live near the hillbilly triangle in Wisconsin. Some of those people who live in the swampy woods rival can easily be just as hillbilly as any folk from the deep south.
Eileen,
Actually, according to Fleming vs. Nestor, the SCOTUS disagrees with you. SS is indeed an entitlement as taxpayers have no legal right to that money after it has been collected from their paychecks.
Hey Ido, I'm in PA, and all I keep hearing from people who support voter ID laws is that "you need to have photo ID to do things like cashing checks, so why the problem?" Well, was that happening here? Obviously not!
Actually, they live in Amherst Junction, Wisconsin. Who edits this stuff ?
Bo Bob, you look funny. Matches your wack job brain!
Cold hearted sorry folk.
I suspect she got a good look at her offspring and committed suicide.
Ole Charles T. looks like a real winner: he's a dead ringer for Herbert, the pedophile on Family Guy.
I agree shot. This is fine looking family and with the highest morals. I wonder how many childeren they have together?
Probably none. They were too busy tending the rose garden.
These guys cause images of dueling banjos to pop in my mind.
I had to go to the Hospital last year......$45,000 bill. We are spposedly one of the "lucky" insured. Not so fast..I have to pay 20% of that bill $9000.
Meanwhile a Food Stamp Customer where I work has had 3 YES 3 Open heart surgeries on the TAX PAYER. 100% covered. & He smokes!
You think Fraud and abuse id bad in SS?
If the MSM cared about ANYTHING except getting "Mr. Cool" re-elected so he can maintain his Lavish Lifestyle on the Tax Payers backs,
they would Do reporting on the hundreds of millions wasted every year on so called "poor"
They look like the Batch from Dogpatch.
Only in Wisconsin. Home of Paul Ryan and Governor Walker.
Really? You had to stretch mighty far to put Paul Ryan and Gov Walker in this story. Pathetic.
Chuck:
Yep... The guy who is still Governor and the next Vice President. Yeah Baby!!!
Only in Wisconsin, home of Jeffrey Dahmer and Ed Gein.
What exactly do you have against these two men? What did they ever do to you?
Chucks just mad that three more Democrats are not being to be able to trade their votes for "free" handouts this fall.
Wanna hear scary? Plainfield and Portage are about 50 miles apart on I-39. Chainsaw massacre IV?
Hey! I'm from Wisconsin! But yeah, we've got some real weirdos around here, come to think of it. Everyone picks on people from Kentucky and Oklahoma, yet I stopped at a red light today behind a guy who opened the door of his rusty pickup truck to spit on the street. It was a big old globby tobacco spit, too. These are the same people who will tell you to stay away from the Appalachian Trail because of "them hillbillies and their sodomy".
But in all fairness, every state has their share of perverts, violent or white-collar criminals, crooked police, psychotic killers, and creeps. And every state has people who hate people from other states and especially "ferners", people who wear traditional or religious clothing, people who have kids and shop at Walmart, people who use Apple products, people who vote Democrat or Republican (I wrote that in no particular order, so keep your pants on), people who drive or don't drive hybrid cars, and so on.
I sincerely hope the missing woman is found or at least that she died of natural causes.
The truly astonishing thing about this story is that, if they had stopped cashing the checks after 29 years, they might have gotten away with it.
Tricky, though - how do you tell the SSA to stop sending checks without providing a death certificate? And if no one cashes the checks, wouldn't that alert SSA to start asking questions? Guess I'll have to spend more time working out the details of my next evil scheme....
When my mother died, I just called our local Social Security office and let them know that she died. I gave them her date of death, social security number and the residence address. That took care of her checks. They didn't ask me for a death certificate at all and I'm not sure if they contacted the nursing home she was in, or if they contacted the funeral home or county morgue.
early - "how do you tell the SSA to stop sending checks without providing a death certificate?"
They never cared once in 30 years about paying the money... I doubt they'd care when they're told to stop.
@pjam09: Are you under the impression that when you're collecting Social Security, you get called a few times a year by someone from the SSA, asking you how things are going? When someone qualifies for benefits, the SSA starts sending payments every month. When they're notified that the person has died, they stop. I was under the impression that they require a death certificate before they'll stop paying. Otherwise, I could call them, tell them, "Poor old pjam09 has died, so stop sending his monthly checks." But I suppose if someone else knows your SSN, that person can get your payments stopped.
In any event, if the checks are being cashed every month, the SSA has no reason to believe that there's a problem. Actually, they generally don't send checks any longer - it's direct deposit. That's certainly more efficient, but it does eliminate one cross-check.
How many examples of GOVERNMENT INCOMPETENCE do Americans have to witness before they figure out that Obama will only make this worse.
He is ALL about big Government Takeover. Why do you think he wasted his 1st 2 years
(when he had all 3 houses) ramming this down our throats? P O W E R
if Obama gets elected .... These stories will not be reported. Look how much they Cover his ass now ~I'm stunned they reported this.
Love2troops...Right on!!!
Hey my good buddy Andy is still getting his ancesters revolutionary war pension!
It would be better to incarcerate them...unless they have pre-existing conditions, in which case the state would be stuck paying for their medical care. Yeech.
If only you could eject people from the Medicare program for stealing from the United States government.
Actually, a large majority of the money stolen from Medicare is done by the providers, not the recipients.
Actually, I don't see a point in incarcerating them. They should be put on probation and made to work to pay the money back!!!!
Incarcerate??? I'm in favor of incinerate.
Charle: Making people pay back for their crimes. Whata concept......makes way too much sense. Govt. will never go for it.
A motley crew, indeed.
Thirty years? Great job you cunning bureaucrats! Inspector Clouseau would be proud!
It's not the govts. job to monitor who cashes the checks...what about the bank??? The bank was cashing them, the govt. just writes them out.
There are tens of thousands of illegals doing this exact same thing or a variation of it.
Read this:
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2006/may/18/20060518-114132-2456r/?page=all
How exactly are those people you derisively refer to as 'illegal aliens' doing the same thing? They are paying into the system.
If people like you would start picking your own produce, and cleaning your own toilets, and stop allowing the CEO's of your big mega-corporations to export the entire manufacturing base of the United States, maybe you would have less to complain about.
And, before you accuse me of some liberal bias... You're wrong. I live in one of those countries people like you always complain about. And, no.... It's not Mexico.
Completely different situation. That article (from six years ago) is talking about people collecting benefits based on the money that they, themselves, paid into the system. And even that wild-eyed commie Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) said they should be allowed to do so.
So, not the "exact same thing," or even "a variation of it."
Try again.
mtlgreer,Enough already about picking products and cleaning toilets.Several San Gabriel Valley,Ca. communities have a vast Hispanic population of illegals.There hasn't been agricultural jobs there in decades.I own a cleaning company,am a Caucasian American and see many janitors that are the same as I.
And, just how do you know those 'vast hordes of Hispanic illegals" are infact illegal? Your very choice of language betrays your own prejudices and biases.
The truth of the matter is people you refer to as 'illegal', do actively participate in the workforce, either above board, with forged paperwork, or under the table. They need to eat like everyone else, and are often willing to do a job for a price that is much lower than a 'caucasian', to use your language.
At one point, it was very highly suggested to my wife that she apply for an American visa, because they assumed, from her english level, that she had lived in the United States most of her life. She hasn't. She has visited the U.S. for less than a month total in about 40 years. Someone even suggested she might be lucky enough to find a job in an office. My wife is an executive with a very well known Central American corporation. It was ridiculous.
I still fail to see how paying Social Security benefits to people who have actually paid into the system is in anyway related to 3 half witted morons who cashed Momma's Social Security checks for 30 years. I would be thrilled if you were able to show me the relationship... But you can't.
Now, it does sound like you play by the rules, and there is no shame in doing so. Sincerely, I am very happy for you that you have your own business, and I hope it is a very fruitful endeavor for you.
mtlgreer, from what you've written, I assume you're Central American. I've traveled to most of those countries with my husband who is in air cargo. (and no, he's never been involved in any way with drugs or any illegal cargo) I just wanted to say that I've been lucky enough to spend time in Guatamala, Costa Rica,Panama @ several other Latin American countries where my husband @ I found many friends and look forward to spending time with them each time we're in those countries. I live in S Fl where I was born @ have always had many Hispanic friends. Legal or not. Doesn't matter to me. I was friends with a couple from Columbia who had a child here and bought a home. After living and both working and paying into SS and Fed taxes etc, they were depoted because they'd over-stayed their visas. It broke my heart. I just wanted to say that you sound more inteligent then most on this comment section. Have a good day.
You know what is worse than trying and convicting these 3 and putting them in jail? Stripping them of their own social security benefits for defrauding the government and leaving them in society to fend for themselves. Then we aren't paying for them to get 3 squares a toilet a cot and free medical care in jail.
Looks like the family tree didn't fork or have any branches.
The family tree was a lodgepole pine.
Family tree? You mean a tree trunk.
Your so funny.....I agree!!
Looks like they could used a bit of bleach in that old family gene pool ~ ;) --But seriously --I too hope that the poor old lady did not come to a unfortunate end. It might just be bad writing and/or reporting (not the first time that has happned here!) but this article does imply that she has been "gone' for 30 years --and that these three have been collecting here SS checks for all those years! Ironically enough all three of these "citizens" are of the age to collect SS benefits themselves -But now they will most likly be getting free room and board on the tax payers now when they are convicted and go to prison.
Couple of handsome men for you women out there. The guy on the right has a winning smile don't you think. Cmon ladies fess up, you know these Dudes are just what you've been looking for.
The guy on the right has a certain Sling Blade look about him.
i know.....HOT...right?
The Darling family from Andy Griffith, anybody ready to start a juggin and a throwin rocks
When we were making arrangements with the funeral home for my mother, one of the requirements was her Social Security number so that the government could be notified of her death and the checks would stop. So it kind of sounds like she is buried on her property somewhere and likely with Theodore.
yes you are right , no funneal home for her or the other brother , shes or they are buried some where , but when my father past thinking about it they called him an sent him letters an to come down to the s.s. office an show his drivers lic an ss card , sometimes change is good , but there are still so many out there , so she would been 100 years old not too many people live that long , they should have realized no doctors bills no meds .
(cough).. inbreeds...(cough)
Wow - serious strains of dueling banjos go through my head looking at these prizes - esp the SIL. More 47%?
Absolutely my first thought!
Folks might want to think twice about canoeing the WI River through Portage Co.
Hey it's only money, the gubment prints all they want.
Lowest of the low. Poor lady was probably murdered, along with the missing brother.
Pig farming! That's all I got to say!
I say the mom died by natural causes but the brother was murdered because he found out and was going to tell the authorities.
You are wrong. Teddy and Marie are just fine. Read my other post.
If some of our hard working unionized federal employees would have been doing their job, maybe they would have caught on years ago..time to buckle down on this type of fraud....maybe start face to face meetings with people after 5-10 years receiving SS benefits, questionairre to verify who exactly is getting benefits, etc, etc....
Social Security needs to have a better checks and balance system put in place because fraud like this is helping break the system.Add the borrowing of it by our government and it's no wonder it is going belly up.
It will be Romeny's 47% minus 3-people now.
Rafael T.
It's no longer 47% It is now 53%.. Check the latest statistics 3% more votes for Obamamama.
Ole Ed: Did you see the Howard Stern interview with Obama Voters? Google it! It will senda cold chill down your spine.
Obama spent the last 3 years stacking the deck AGAINST the middle class. That is why Rasmussen reports Romney ahead by 14 points with the middle class. But it wont matter..
With Early Voting (so Democrats can vote twice) NO ID Voting so Democrats can cheat easier.
The Obama DOD failing to get ballots to US Troops overseas in time for election (MSM ignored)
not to mention the late Night "executive orders" Obama pulled relaxing al the rules for Food Stamp/Welfare DEMOCRAT voters...& lastly, Obamas Late Nite "amnesty" bill for Mexican workers. (can NO ID vote)
TAX PAYERS are SCREWED! by Obama at every turn
Now there's a dependable source of information...has howard gotten over his fetish with big boobs yet? Oh wait a minute, no he hasn't since he's supporting Romney...
Isn't this that inbred family from the "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" movies? The old lady's not dead, she's just mouldering in her easy chair. What are the odds that any of them pay taxes, but they'll vote for Romney anyway?
No they wont because they are all probably on government entitlement programs
Am sure the 1% and the Whore$ they pay the Republican Politicians will say a story like this justifies getting rid of SSI for everyone..
Gee, you'd never guess by looking at them.
;-)
$5,800.00 a year for 30 years. Not exactly the crime of the century. This kind of fraud most likely is rampant in the Social Security system. The Social Security Administration could probably save billions of dollars if they made a greater effort to hold recipients of benefits accountable. There needs to be a face to face physical verification every five years to ensure the system is working properly and to identify fraudulent claims. No wonder S.S. is running out of money when they pay benefits to ghosts.
One thing for sure, these three are all set for Halloween. No costume necessary here!
You've got to be willing to pay for staff to investigate thousands of cases and prosecute any fraud they find. The Congress doesn't seem interested in doing so. To be fair, neither did GW Bush or B Obama.
OKIE JOE: Yes, you would certainly have to pay SS staff for doing a job. Not a mind boggling job. No Phd. necessary. When you consider the likely billions of dollars lost to fraudulent claims what would be the price of having a very small staff in every major city who did nothing but verifying mature claims? Properly set up one staff member should be able to make between 10 and 15 contacts a day (just for example). That would be 780 contact a year on the high end for one investigator. Realistically, your not going to be able to check all people receiving benefits but if you work with the very oldest claims or claimants of extremely advanced age and go from there those beneficiary accounts most susceptible to this kind of fraud would be covered first. Of course you have to weigh the costs to investigate versus any savings from fraud detection and prevention. The main problem is most bureaucracies never seem to live up to their intend tasks. So you can argue the subject back in forth never coming up with an acceptable solution that satisfies everyone. There is always the choice of just doing nothing and all of us tax payers pay for these people to get a free ride. How much does that cost?
Obama has increased GOVERMENT workers (new voters for him) by millions. The unemployment rate in Government is around 5% meanwhile the American people who pay those lazy, inept Goverment workers are barely getting by.
If Obama Care is sooooooooo wonderful are Unions and Goverment workers EXEMPT from it?
That's not true. In fact, federal spending as well as the total number of federal employees have both remained almost flat since 2009.
This administration represents the slowest growth in the size and budget of the federal government in decades.
That's some staff they got down at the Social Security.
Mic...why can't the government hire psychics? Why don't you apply for the job?
That is almost $ 6.000 per year they robbed the community. Compared with the theft of only a few billions by the Wall Street gangs, they should be hanged!
Antoon....They should be hanged if they are responsible for any foul play in the disappearance of their mother and brother. As it is it appears as they took opportunity in the disappearance of their mother and their brother.