She Cashed His Checks Years After Dad Died

COLUMBUS, Ohio — A 74-year-old woman who kept on collecting her father’s Social Security checks for 31 years after he had died was sentenced to six months under house arrest.

Ann Craig was also ordered Thursday to start repaying the $161,600 she stole from the government by forging her father’s signature on the 372 checks that arrived after his death in 1966. In addition, she was placed on five years’ probation.

Craig pleaded guilty Feb. 12. Her lawyer said she used some of the money on medical bills.

Social Security inspectors discovered the fraud in October. The agency routinely checks on recipients when they turn 95, and Craig’s father would have reached that age that month.