A South Carolina woman is facing felony charges after investigators say she stole more than $147,000 in pension payments by failing to report her mother’s death.
Bonni-Lee Jones, 65, was arrested this week and charged with obtaining property valued over $10,000 under false pretenses. Authorities say she continued collecting her late mother’s New York State pension for nearly five years after her passing.
Jones’ mother had retired from the Suffolk County Police Department in 2002 and was receiving a monthly pension of $2,926. She died in South Carolina on August 8, 2019, but officials say Jones never reported the death. Instead, she allegedly used her mother’s bank card to withdraw funds, transferring most of it to her personal account and using the money for ATM withdrawals, retail purchases, and cell phone bills.
Investigators say Jones only confirmed her mother’s death in April 2024, and even then, only after being confronted by the New York State Retirement System.
New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli said the case shows the importance of catching pension fraud. “Ms. Jones allegedly sought to profit off of her mother’s death and cheat the pension system,” he said. “My office will continue to partner with law enforcement across the state and throughout the country to protect the pension system from those who seek to defraud it.”
Jones, who had been living in Louisiana, turned herself in and appeared in Spartanburg County Court. Authorities in New York and South Carolina coordinated on the case, including DiNapoli’s office, the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office, and South Carolina Solicitor Barry Barnette.
Officials say the charges are accusations at this stage, and Jones is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
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